Pathetic: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized World Press Photo for a photo of a Ukrainian child and a Russian soldier

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to the "tandem" of two photographs of the international organization World Press Photo, which depict a wounded Ukrainian child and a soldier of the Russian army. This is reported by UNN with reference to the post of the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Georhiy Tykhyi.

The decision of World Press Photo to create a "tandem" of two photographs depicting a Ukrainian child injured by the war and a soldier of the Russian occupation army is pathetic. This is the worst example of a false moral equivalence between the aggressor and the one who defends himself from aggression 

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that "the Ukrainian child had no choice - her country was unfairly attacked. Putting her suffering on a par with the invaders who decided to wage a war of aggression is immoral.

In particular, as Tykhyi noted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joins the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers and condemns the actions of World Press Photo, which contradict the basic principles of professional journalism.

We call on all professionals and associations who are aware of the absurdity of equating victims and criminals to express their position 

Addition 

On March 27, as reported, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, the international organization World Press Photo announced 42 regional winners of the annual documentary photography competition.

Among the winners were also representatives of Russia and Belarus, as well as two German photographers whose work concerns the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

One of the photographs that received recognition was a portrait of a Ukrainian child who survived severe injuries as a result of the war.

Another award-winning photo is of a wounded occupier from the "DPR" in a field hospital near Bakhmut.

This choice of the jury caused criticism, in particular, from last year's winner of World Press Photo, Ukrainian photographer Yulia Kochetova.

Obviously, I am surprised to see so much attention to the narrative about the "Russian soul" among the regional winners this year. I can't imagine how Georgian photographers feel about their protests against Russian influence being shown through images from a photographer from a Russian state agency. This is a personal responsibility - how this war will be told in years. It is important to continue to testify and document