The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called World Press Photoʼs decision to create a "tandem" of two photographs depicting a war-traumatized Ukrainian child and a wounded Russian occupier deplorable.
This was written by Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi.
"This is the worst example of a false moral equivalence between an aggressor and one who defends against aggression. The Ukrainian child had no choice — her country was unjustly attacked. Putting her suffering on the same footing with invaders who chose to fight a war of aggression is immoral," he stressed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine joins the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in condemning the moral blindness of the World Press Photo organization. The ministry added that the organizationʼs actions contradict the basic principles of professional journalism.
"By rewarding Russian photographers who serve as spokespeople for the Russian state ideology, the competition makes the aggressorʼs position visible, and thus contributes to a change in concepts: instead of condemning the aggressor, it emphasizes sympathy for him. In our opinion, such an award does not correspond to the declared goal of the competition — to unite the world with important stories, especially in the situation of the war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 11 years," the board of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers reacted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called on all professionals and associations who recognize the absurdity of equating victims with criminals to speak out.
What is it about?
The World Press Photo organization has reported the winners of this yearʼs photo contest. The winning photos were classified by region, including Europe. Here, in the "Individual Photos" category, photographer Florian Bachmeier was recognized for his work "Behind the Trenches". The photo shows six-year-old Anhelina from a village near Kupyansk, who was forced to leave her home due to the war. Against this background, Anhelina is experiencing panic attacks.
Florian Bachmeier
And at the same time, Nanna Heitmann was recognized for her photo “Underground Field Hospital”. The photo shows a wounded soldier who was called up to fight for Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region. He was wounded near Bakhmut.
Nanna Heitmann
- One of the most prestigious photo competitions, World Press Photo, annually recognizes the best journalistic and documentary photographs created during that year.
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