A Year of Russian Invasion in 10 Photos: An Award-Winning Photographer’s Look at the Drama in Ukraine

The war started by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine is about to be a year old. The brutality of the bombings and the massacre that swept across Ukraine shocked the world through the images of photographers such as Getty’s John Moore, an award-winning graphic reporter who sensitively wields his lens to depict the human dramas around the planet.

Moore arrived in Ukraine a month after the invasion began and was able to visit towns devastated by bombing, accompany the cries of parents burying their children and witness the resilience of Ukrainians.

“When I arrived in Ukraine in April, the conflict had already entered its second month. Even then, many Ukrainians were beginning to fear that the world would forget them and their suffering. In general, they welcomed international photojournalists, especially Americans like me, to tell their story. They want us to document these terrible atrocities so that the world and history will never forget them,” he said.

“Another unique aspect of working in Ukraine is the hazards. In this conflict, the main danger is shrapnel, especially for photographers working in frontline areas. In Afghanistan and Iraq there was a great risk of kidnapping, something that doesn’t happen so much in Ukraine, where the front lines are more defined,” Moore explained, with years of coverage of armed clashes in worldwide.

“As in most countries, in Ukraine before the war there were very deep political divisions and many citizens were not supporters of President Zelensky. The Russian invasion of the country, of course, changed everything and united the majority of Ukrainians around the former comedian and actor. Even many residents of southern and eastern Ukraine, where Russian is the native language, supported the Kyiv government.”

“As a photojournalist I had fairly free access to photograph people in difficult conditions and they were open to showing that reality. People let me into their homes and showed me how they lived in the rubble. of their past lives. Many were very open to having photographers covering the funerals of their loved ones. They were grieving, but proud of their pain, and they wanted the world to see it.”

“One day I was flying my drone and taking photos of the widespread destruction of a neighborhood in Hostomel, located on a former frontline on the outskirts of Kyiv. From the air, I observed someone removing belongings from a badly damaged house. So I landed the drone, walked home and met Oksana. He led me through the dilapidated staircase of his house to the mess hall which had been the top floor of his house. It looked like he had been hit by a tornado, but no, he said it was a Russian rocket. Her mother and grandmother were at home at the time, but they survived. Now he picked up what he could salvage. The frankness and naturalness with which he told the story of his family impressed me. No hyperbole or melodrama, just the facts.”

“I have learned how strong and resilient people can be, despite incredible adversity, tragedy and pain. When people see their cause is just, they can be much stronger and endure much more than they never would have imagined.”

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