site.btaRomanian Photographer Vadim Ghirda Wins Pulitzer for Ukraine War Coverage

Associated Press photojournalist Vadim Ghirda won a Pulitzer Prize for the way he covered the war in Ukraine. The Romanian spent ten weeks in the country's battered heartland and made some of the most recognisable images of the Russian invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk. Later he was in Kyiv to document people's desperate attempt to leave the country while they still can. 

A child peers through the window of a bus, gazing into the unknown. A Ukrainian serviceman against the backdrop of a bullet-riddled doll of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A young woman with a weapon in her hand during combat training for civilians. A crying woman hidden in a crowded basement. An 84-year-old woman in a wheelchair evacuated from Irpin with her twelve dogs. A statue of Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri covered with sandbags. A man with shopping bags in the shadows of thick smoke from a warehouse destroyed by a Russian bombardment. A Ukrainian serviceman rescuing an ostrich from a damaged private zoo. 

This is what the war in Ukraine looks like through the lens of Vadim Ghirda, the photographer who has worked for the Associated Press for 30 years. The Romanian was born in Bucharest. He graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. He specializes in war photojournalism and has covered some of the world's biggest conflicts throughout his career: the revolution in Romania, the war in Transnistria, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the conflict in Kosovo, the NATO bombing of Serbia, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the humanitarian crisis on the Turkish-Syrian border.

In 2016, his photo was included in Time magazine's top 100 best photos of the year. In 2017 he was awarded for his shot of immigrants crossing a river to get from Greece to North Macedonia. Photos from the war in Ukraine won him first place in the Prix Bayeux, a French competition for war correspondents.

The Associated Press photojournalist visited Ukraine for the first time in 1991. He was shooting in Lviv when the Soviet Union collapsed. He returned to Ukraine in 2012 to cover the European soccer championships and in 2014-2015 to witness the annexation of Crimea. He also filmed in Ukraine in 2019, during the presidential election when Volodymyr Zelensky was elected head of state.

Here is what Vadim Ghirda said in a special interview with BTA, a day after he won the Pulitzer.

What is the story behind the photo that won you the Pulitzer in the "breaking news photo" category? 

The photo was taken in Bucha. Several young men are lying dead next to an office building. The frame is one of the first to reveal the consequences of the Russian occupation in this suburb of Kiev. 

You spent ten weeks in Ukraine. How do you feel about the war? 

It's hard to put into words. War brings out the worst and the best in people. I choose to remember only the best, but I don't imagine that the worst is easily forgotten.

When and how did you fall in love with photography? When and how did it become your profession?

I started taking pictures a long time ago when I was still in school. It was my way to blend in with the environment, or rather to be accepted. When you take pictures, you pretend to be busy. That way you can socialize less, and that helps if you're not an extroverted person. People like you if you photograph them well, and some of their self-love will rub off on you, so again you secure social acceptance.

You've covered many events, including the collapse of Yugoslavia, the bombing of Serbia, the conflict in Bosnia and the crisis in Kosovo, the collapse of the communist regime in Central and Eastern Europe. How much has the world changed since then, how much has Europe changed?

It has certainly changed a lot, hopefully for the better. It is challenging to analyse without many words. I think Europe has become 'more aware' of how interconnected it really is and how what happens in one country will inevitably affect everyone very soon. 

I'm finding you in the UK. What memories in pictures will you keep of [King] Charles' coronation?  

These UK-branded events are very spectacular for the public. For me, as an Eastern European, it's very impressive to see events involving huge numbers of people that are so well organised and almost stress-free for attendees. I'm sure they are not stress-free for the organizers (laughs). I loved watching The Mall - the road leading to Buckingham Palace, packed with people heading to watch King Charles and the Royal Family appear on the balcony.

You travel a lot. Have you been to Bulgaria?

Many times. Since the days of communism, when travel was restricted and a day trip to Varna was perhaps as spectacular a thing for many people as a weekend in Paris is today for a couple of young lovers. I have covered countless elections, protests and even football matches in Bulgaria.

Do you remember the first photo you ever took?

I think it was of high school classmates.

Who is the Vadim Girda behind the camera? 

That's a difficult question. I'll just say that I'm a human being like everyone else. We may think we're different, but the only differences come from the experiences we've had, the luck, good or bad, that has shaped us differently. In essence, we are all one, we are all the same.