On behalf of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain we condemn the unprovoked and barbaric invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We send our support to the people and democratically-elected government of the sovereign state of Ukraine. Our sympathy and prayers are with them. Our sympathy extends also to the people of Russia who, through the actions of their leaders, are being ostracised from the global community.
The Royal Photographic Society will continue to provide every possible support to our members in Ukraine and in Russia. We will not provide a platform for any representative of the Russian state but we will encourage individual Russian photographers to engage with our programmes and activities as private individuals providing, at all times, their work does not endorse or seek to justify the actions of the Russian leaders or state.
Freedom of expression and the dissemination of truthful and accurate information is how regimes are held to account; it is how genocides and war crimes are exposed. Photography has a unique and hugely important role to play in showing the people of Russia and the world the impact of the actions of the Russian state. Within the Royal Photographic Society, we hold firmly to the belief that cultural collaboration between peoples of different nations and cultures is how we can demonstrate and celebrate our shared humanity.
We shall continue to stand by the people of Ukraine.
Simon Hill HonFRPS, President
Evan Dawson, Chief Executive Officer
All images are by Serhiy Mykhalchuk. The images show the aftermath of the missile strike on the TV Tower in Kyiv, on Tuesday 1 March 2022. RPS member Ian Simpson has been liaising with Serhiy, to whom we send our gratitude and support. Ian has created a website showing further images here. Please be warned, several of the images on his site are very graphic and viewers are likely to find them upsetting.
