Underground Field Hospital

Photographer

Nanna Heitmann

Magnum Photos, for The New York Times

22 January, 2024

A soldier injured near the city of Bakhmut, lies in a field hospital set up in an underground winery. His left leg and arm were later amputated. Donbas, Ukraine.

This soldier was conscripted to fight for the Russian-backed, separatist “republic” of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on 22 February 2022, two days before the full-scale Russian invasion of the country. Later, Russia unilaterally annexed the territory, and the militia that conscripted him was merged into a unit of the Russian army. Russia has occupied vast swathes of eastern Ukraine, and the city of Bakhmut has seen some of the bloodiest battles of the war.

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Technical information

Shutter Speed

1/125

Focal length

24mm

F-Stop

f7.1

ISO

3.2

Camera

Canon EOS R5

Jury comment

The global jury considered the two singles from Europe about the Russian-Ukrainian war in tandem, recognizing them as a powerful pairing that captures different dimensions of the conflict. The first image, of a soldier conscripted to fight for the Russian-backed, separatist “republic” of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, carries complex symbolic weight, raising thought-provoking questions about nationality and political divides. The second image, of a Ukrainian child, Anhelina, at rest, offers a contrasting perspective — quiet, suspended, and distanced from direct violence, yet still profoundly shaped by the war and its psychological scars. Together, these images expose both the physical and psychological toll of the war, with the pairing providing a deeper, more nuanced view of a conflict with far-reaching global ramifications.

Underground Field Hospital

A soldier injured near the city of Bakhmut, lies in a field hospital set up in an underground winery. His left leg and arm were later amputated. Donbas, Ukraine.

Jury comment

Mika