Ukraine's Evgeniy Maloletka: 'We've documented war crimes'

DW: How important is this award for you and, of course, for Ukraine?

Evgeniy Maloletka: I think that every platform is important to inform the world about the Russian-Ukrainian war and to show that war happens every day. Every day civilians and military are killed on the front lines and far beyond by missiles and air strikes.

Did this award come as a surprise to you?

Every photographer dreams of winning a World Press Photo Award in their career. It is an important award [honoring] iconic images that shape history.

In this case, the photos from Mariupol really shaped history and, I believe, changed the world. They show what the war looks like in a city that is burned down along with its inhabitants. I saw this with my own eyes, and with my colleague Mstyslav Chernov documented these terrible events. These horrific images stay with me. It is almost impossible to erase them.

We tried to convey with our works what was happening in the city and how people felt. And we've documented Russian war crimes against Ukrainians. It's like in the Middle Ages: If a city can't be conquered, it's just incinerated along with its occupants.

The pregnant woman in the press photo of the year is Iryna Kalinina, who died with her unborn child after the bombing of a maternity clinic in Mariupol. How symbolic is it for you that this particular image was chosen?

I can't count how many media outlets published this picture on their front pages on March 10, 2022, while reporting that Russia had bombed a maternity clinic in Mariupol and noted that Russian reports about the bombing were lies. [The image] is an important indication of how widely the Russian claims differ from what actually happened in Mariupol. The photo of Iryna became a symbol of this war and showed the whole world what was happening in Mariupol.

Sadly, two days later we learned of her death. Recently, I spoke with Iryna's husband by phone. We had contact earlier and he is now in the UK.

On March 9, 2022, he had searched for Iryna at the maternity hospital, and at various other hospitals, but could not find her. The next day he was told to search among the dead. He was given access to a room where numerous corpses lay. At first he didn't even believe it was her. She was a very outgoing woman who worked in a clothing store and loved her work. They couldn't get pregnant for a long time, but eventually it worked out. Unfortunately, a Russian bomb put an end to that life.

When you took the photo of Iryna lying on a stretcher, did you manage to speak to her?

It was a very brief moment during the evacuation from the maternity hospital, and we had already seen Iryna being carried up the stairs and along the medical buildings to the ambulance.

At that point, we had just arrived and were documenting what had happened. It was impossible to know where she was. We spent the next few days trying to find out where they had taken her and the other women. At that time there was chaos, and debris was removed while searching for survivors.

How important is this award for Ukraine? How can attention on Ukraine be maintained?

I think that Ukraine in 2022 surprised the world, as well as Ukrainian journalists who continue to risk their lives to report what is happening in their country. It is not easy to maintain standards, and all these emotions, while telling the world what is happening. Because this is happening at home. It is very painful to explain it.

You said that the prize is the dream of every professional photographer. What else do you dream about?

Like all Ukrainians, I dream that Ukraine is victorious, and that the war will end as soon as possible.

This interview was conducted in Russian.