Latest news with #Vlada
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay speller out at national Bee, five from Florida remain
For the first time since 2022, the nation's top speller won't come from the Tampa Bay region. Pinellas Academy of Math and Science sixth grader Vlada Kozhevnikova, representing the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, made it through the first two rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. But like 84 other contestants, Vlada did not score high enough on the third round written test to advance further. She finished tied for 100th place. Five competitors from Florida remain in the 100th annual bee, and could become the third consecutive winner from the Sunshine State. Only twice before has the same state had winners three years in a row. Dev Shah of Largo won in 2023, and Bruhat Soma of Tampa won in 2024.
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Love, loss and duty: Ukraine photojournalists share dia stories of war
For di three years wey Russia launch dia first full-scale invasion for Ukraine, plenty photographers capture di impact of di war on human beings wey bin dey di frontlines and oda civilian areas. Some of dem share tori about dia photos wey appear for BBC coverage since February 2022. Vlada and Kostiantyn Liberov Bifor di war, dis husband and wife wey dem be team – work as photographers for weddings for di Black Sea port city for Odesa. Na so dem move "from to dey capture love stories to dey capture Russia war crimes", Vlada don remember. She sabi di risks wey dey dis work. One explosion as dem visit di Donetsk area for 2023, make she get some bomb particles deep inside her body, sometin doctors decide say dem neva fit to remove. Dis powerful shot by Kostiantyn Liberov for di 2024 summer don feature for di BBC reports on di Ukrainian offensive ova di Russian border for Kursk. One soja dey console im colleague afta im return from one assault wia dem kill one of dia servicemen. For Liberov, di photo paint di picture of di confusion inside di military ova di operation. "For your friend to die inside attack for Russia, rather dan to defend our kontri for Ukraine, na difficult tin," im tok. "I don take dis picture sake of di emotional impact on me. Di picture dey tok about di situation and how e don hard give dem." To dey capture dis kain situation don affect local photojournalists. "No be all di time we dey tok about dis kind tins as colleagues sake of e be really painful," Vlada tok. "Pesin go dey inside very tough situation wey nobody fit to understand wetin di solution be." One of her fotos capture one member of di Ukraine White angels police unit afta im no succeed as im try to convince one of di residents to comot di eastern city of Aviidvka bifor di Russia forces go enter. Di story na part of one BBC article about one 24-hour Russian bombardment. One man ask di police unit to remove im broad from di basement of one building wey don burn, but im refuse to leave. "Di next day, we neva fit return sake of di attack," Vlada bin remember. "Di situation don become worse – I sure say im no fit to survive. Na painful tin to know say you neva fit return to dis places." Di couple don find appreciation of dia joy moments as dem don dey capture dis tins about how pipo dey suffer wey odas dey die. Dmytrov na one pesin wey fight for Ukraine for more dan ten years, dem capture am for photo afta im wife don give birth. "We bin take pictures as im dey work for difficult places. Na so you see dis ogbonge brave soldier dey cry as im dey carry im pikin for hand, you go understand oda sojas like dis one for dis kain moments. No be just for diaserf but for everibodi for Ukraine. Valeria Demenko Since 2016, Valeria Demenko don capture di work of di state emergency service for Ukraine (DSNS) for di north-eastern Sumy region wey she now join rescue teams wey dem deploy to dis areas hit by di Russia shelling. "E always difficult…you neva sabi di kain danger wey dey dia. Na difficult tin when dem dey attack pipo dia homes." One moment wey dey im mind well well, na one striking picture wey show emergency workers for one scene – wia one five-storey building don collapse afta Russian shelling as di residents still dey inside. One moment engraved on her memory involved a striking image featured showing emergency workers at the scene of a five-storey building that collapsed afta Russian shelling, with residents still inside. Valerie remember how emergency workers don dey dat site for four straight days Dem bin find four pipo dead, but dem neva find di body of one girl wey miss. "We find one doll for ground…e mean say one pikin or many children bin dey stay dia." Even though all her colleagues don dey emotionally stretched, she want make di world see dia work: "we don dey give our last strength to capture Russia dia crimes against Ukrainians wey dey peaceful." Alexander Ermochenko Alexander Ermochenko spend di past 11 years dey capture di Ukraine war as a photojournalist for di eastern Donetsk region. Im don dey report for di area wia Russia don dey control wey "I neva tink say I go capture di war for my home". "Di fear for di face of di owner of di house wey don scatter na di same for both sides of di war front. Na always important say you go show say blood gat di same red colour." Di BBC get less access to photojournalists wey dey report from Russia as di Kremlin don restrict access to international journalists and Russia news agencies na di state dey run dem. Di BBC bin approach one photographer wey base for Russia, to contribute to dis story but im neva respond. For dis picture above, Ermochenko capture pro-Russia activists as dem dey jubilate on 21 February 2022 afta Vladimir Putin bin declare dia eastern region independent. Dem publish dis picture as part of di BBC coverage of dat moment. Im don describe how im produce dis photo "accidentally" – na powerful reminder of di impact wia di split-second decision of a photographer dey produce wen im raise im camera. Ukraine tok say 300 pipo die when Russian planes fire Mariupol theatre in March 2022. Di following month, Alexander Ermochenko don capture dis image, wey feature for one BBC report wia di photographer capture afta di attack togeda wit daily life. "Di destruction na total scatta," im remember, "as one destroyed nine-storey building begin dey look like Hollywood set. But na real tin, wey bifor now, pipo bin dey stay for dis places." "Wetin surprise me na di way life don kontinu, even though pipo still dey fight for street. Pipo dey calm, but in fact, di tin shock dem well well, di way tins don dey happun." Dis photo, BBC don use for live report of di attack for di Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for November 2022, dey show di difficulty as pipo dey capture di war. "Pictures of di plant dey make pesin fear dat time," Ermochenko tok. "Dis place dey under guard everitime even tho di soldiers diaserf dey illustrate di situation." Despite dis kain wahala im and im colleagues dey face, im say "di war neva be only my professional career, but na big part of my whole life…no matta how tins don become difficult, I go still kontinu." Alina Smutko Based for Kyiv, Alina Smutko dey understand di human impact wey dis war don bring through her work as photojournalist and from im personal experience. "I bin experience Russia missiles and drone attack for di city for three years. During dat time, I dey worry about my parents, my pikin, friends and oda colleagues." Im dey feel lucky say im home dey intact and her loved ones wey dey alive, afta witnessing di missile attack on dia neighbourhood from her bedroom window. For di beginning, she and im friends and family dey check each oda evriday afta di full-scale Russia invasion. But di way di attacks bin happun quick quick, e don force residents to learn how to live wit di war and maintain dia normal life. Her job don affect her. "We see how dem kill our colleagues - photojournalists in particular – or wound odas during di invasion. We don lose one of our team members wey anoda one don hurt." Smutko try say im no go "overthink" wetin she dey do, but she believe say na important tin to share di effects of di war wit di world. "I think im go help somehow, but I neva believe for di idea say picture fit stop war. If e fit, we no go lose plenty lives for hia." "I still believe say to dey capture dis tins dey important. Sake of if dem no photograph sometin, e mean say den e neva happun." "Somebody gatz do di work…I just do my best." Top image dey show one member of di emergency services as im dey attend to fire wey one Russian strike on a gas depot cause, near di border for di north-eastern Sumy.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Love, loss and duty: Ukraine's photojournalists share stories of war
In the three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of photographers have documented the human impact of the war on the front line and in civilian areas. Some of them have shared stories about their photos which have appeared in BBC coverage since February 2022. Prior to the full-scale war, this husband and wife team worked as wedding and portrait photographers in the Black Sea port city of Odesa. They soon moved "from capturing love stories, to documenting Russian war crimes", recalls Vlada. She knows first-hand the risks in her work. An explosion on a visit to the Donetsk region in 2023 left her with shrapnel lodged deep in her side, which doctors decided could not be removed. This powerful shot taken by Kostiantyn Liberov in the summer of 2024 was featured in Paul Adams' report on the Ukrainian offensive over the Russian border in Kursk. A soldier is seen consoling his desperate comrade after returning from an assault in which a fellow serviceman was killed. For Liberov, the image mirrors some of the confusion within the military over the operation. "To lose your friend in an attack inside Russia, rather than defending our country in Ukraine, is very difficult," he said. "I took this photo because of the emotional impact it had on me. It says a lot about the situation and how hard it was for them." Photographing such deeply affecting scenes has taken its toll on local photojournalists. "It's not something we talk about a lot with colleagues as it's painful," says Vlada. "You are in a very hard situation, and no-one quite understands what the solution can be." One 2023 photo of hers captures a member of Ukraine's White Angels police unit after an unsuccessful attempt to convince one of the last remaining residents to leave the eastern city of Aviidvka before Russian forces sweep in. The story was part of a BBC article on a devastating 24-hour Russian bombardment. A man had asked the police unit to evacuate his brother from the basement of a burnt out building, and yet he still refused to leave. "The next day we could not return because of hard shelling," Vlada remembers. "The situation got much worse and I'm not sure he could have survived. It hurts knowing you cannot return to these places." In documenting so much loss and suffering, the couple have found a deeper appreciation of moments of joy. Dmytro, who has fought in Ukraine for more than a decade, was photographed after his wife gave birth in March 2024. "We used to take photos of him in the trenches. And then you see this big, brave soldier crying while he takes his small daughter in his hands, and you understand soldiers like him fight for these moments. Not just for themselves, but for everyone in Ukraine." Since 2016, Valeria Demenko has chronicled the work of Ukraine's state emergency service (DSNS) in the north-eastern Sumy region, and she now joins rescue teams deployed to areas hit by Russian shelling. "It's always difficult… you never know what danger awaits you. It is especially difficult when residential buildings come under attack". One moment engraved on her memory involved a striking image featured in a story in March 2024 showing emergency workers at the scene of a five-storey building that collapsed after Russian shelling, with residents still inside. Valeria recalls how emergency workers attended the site for four days straight. They found four dead, but never recovered the body of a missing girl. "There was a doll on one of the upper floors... it meant a child was living there, and there may have been more." Although all her colleagues are emotionally stretched, she wants the world to see their work: "We give every last ounce of strength to document Russia's crimes against peaceful Ukrainians." Alexander Ermochenko has spent the past 11 years documenting Ukraine's war as a photojournalist in the eastern Donetsk region. He has often reported in Russian-controlled territory too and "never thought I'd be photographing war in my home". "The fear on the face of the owner of a destroyed house is the same on both sides of the front. It is always important to show that blood has the same red colour." The BBC has less access to photojournalists reporting from Russia, as the Kremlin restricts access to international journalists and Russian news agencies are largely state-run. The BBC approached a Russia-based photographer to contribute to this story but received no response. In the above picture, Ermochenko captured jubilant pro-Russian activists on 21 February 2022 after Vladimir Putin declared their eastern region independent. It was published as part of the BBC's coverage of that fateful moment. He describes how the photo came about "accidentally" - a powerful reminder of the potential impact of a photographer's split-second decision to raise their camera. Ukraine said 300 people were killed when Russian planes bombed Mariupol theatre in March 2022. The following month, Alexander Ermochenko captured this image, featured in Hugo Bachega's report, in which the photographer conveys the aftermath of a massacre alongside everyday life. "The destruction was absolute," he remembers, "with destroyed nine-storey buildings looking like a Hollywood set. But they are real, and recently inhabited by people." "What was most surprising was that life continued, despite the fighting in neighbouring streets. People looked calm, but in fact they were deeply shocked by what was happening." This photo, used in our live reporting of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant shelling in November 2022, illustrates the difficulty in photographing the war. "Pictures of the plant were rare at that time," says Ermochenko. "It is constantly under guard, though the soldiers themselves perfectly illustrate the situation." Despite the challenges he and his colleagues face, he says "the war is not only a part of my professional career, but a big part of my whole life... no matter how difficult it is, I will continue." Based in Kyiv, Alina Smutko understands the human impact of this war through her work as a photojournalist and from personal experience. "I've experienced Russian missiles and drone attacks on the city almost non-stop for three years. During this time, I've been constantly worried about my parents, child, friends and colleagues." She feels lucky that her home is intact and her loved ones alive, after witnessing a missile attack on her neighbourhood from her bedroom window. Initially, she and her friends and family would check in with each other on a daily basis after the full-scale Russian invasion. But the frequency of attacks has forced residents to learn to live with the war and maintain as normal a life as possible. The toll on her profession has been hard. "We see how our colleagues - photojournalists in particular - were killed or wounded during this invasion. We lost one of our team members, and another colleague has been badly wounded." Smutko tries not to "overthink" what she does, but believes it is important to share the effects of the war with the world. "I think it helps somehow, but I don't believe in the idea that a picture can stop a war. If it could, we would not have lost so many lives here." "I still believe that documenting is important. Because if something hasn't been photographed, it hasn't happened." "This work has to be done… I just do my best." Top image shows a member of the emergency services attending a fire resulting from a Russian strike on a gas depot, near the border in north-eastern Sumy in May 2024.
