Ukrainian photojournalist Yevhen Maloletka has won a top prize at the prestigious World Press Photo 2026, earning recognition in the Europe regional category.
The winners were announced on April 9, when organizers revealed 42 regional award recipients from around the world.
Photo Taken After Russian Strike on Kyiv
Maloletka’s award-winning image was captured in the aftermath of a massive Russian strike on Kyiv on April 24, 2025.
The photograph shows 65-year-old Valeriia Syniuk sitting near her heavily damaged home. The attack killed at least 12 people and injured around 87 others. Residential infrastructure suffered extensive damage: 54 apartment buildings were affected, and 723 apartments were damaged to varying degrees.
The image stands as a powerful visual testimony to the human cost of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Other Recognized Work
Another awarded photograph was taken by American photojournalist David Guttenfelder. It depicts a Ukrainian soldier with the callsign “Trader” from the Achilles battalion preparing FPV drones for combat missions in the Kharkiv region.
About World Press Photo
World Press Photo is a globally renowned competition founded in 1955 in Amsterdam. It honors outstanding photojournalism that documents major world events, as well as social and environmental issues.
Winning photographs are featured in an international traveling exhibition shown annually in more than 45 countries.
The finalists and the overall winner of the Photo of the Year 2026 will be announced on April 23.
Who Is Yevhen Maloletka
Yevhen Maloletka has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014. He is a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and Ukraine’s Taras Shevchenko National Prize.
He gained international recognition for his reporting from the besieged city of Mariupol, including the widely known image from a maternity hospital that became a symbol of the الحرب’s brutality and won the World Press Photo of the Year.
“I want the world to hear the voices of the people we photographed… This is our history. Through loss and pain, we must grow stronger and move forward,” Maloletka said.
Mariupol and “20 Days in Mariupol”
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Maloletka, along with Mstyslav Chernov and Vasilisa Stepanenko, worked in the encircled city of Mariupol.
They were among the last journalists reporting from the city, documenting the siege and sharing evidence with the global media.
Their footage later became the basis for the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, which won the Academy Award in 2024, marking a historic achievement for Ukraine.
