Two Ukrainian AP Journalists Capture the Most Devastating Moments of War

"Chernov and Maloletka have been among the few working journalists—and, according to AP, the only international media—in Mariupol, the besieged southern port city that was home to roughly 430,000 people before the war. “I think it’d be fair to say that since the shelling of Mariupol intensified, they really were the sole team on the ground,” says Pace. Their gutting reports of mass graves being dug for Mariupol’s dead and the children lying in them have served as a reality check against Russia’s claims that it has not targeted civilians. Last week, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that a maternity hospital bombed by Russian forces had been emptied of all patients and doctors, a narrative refuted by videos and photos captured by the two AP journalists after the attack. “They want to get the facts out—it’s not just about the images, which are incredibly powerful,” said Pace. “It’s about making sure people know factual information about what’s happening in a place where communications are really difficult.” The city, blockaded by Russian forces, has been mostly without electricity and mobile phone network for days. When AP is able to reach its journalists on the ground, there isn’t much time for conversation. “So much of what we know about how they’re doing also comes from their work,” Pace says. “That is how we often have known how they are, where they are.”"

see the gallery by  Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov’

Two Ukrainian AP Journalists Capture the Most Devastating Moments of War | Vanity Fair