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Ukrainian “children of war” on the cover of a book about Russia. How Bloomsbury used a photo of Ukrainian children to promote a book about “different Russians”

27.8.2024
2
min read

The full-scale war in Ukraine is covered by photographers, journalists, and documentarians from all over the world. Thousands of photos of the Russian-Ukrainian war through the eyes of foreign photojournalists can be seen in online and print editions.

Recently Ukrainian professional media about books and book publishing in Ukraine and the world”Chitomo” published material that the British publishing house Bloomsburyposted a photo of Ukrainian children on the cover of a book about Russia.

BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford's autobiographical book “Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War” was published in August this year.

Screenshot from the publisher's website

“This is the story of how Vladimir Putin changed Russia so profoundly that he was able to start the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Sarah focuses on the extraordinary characters she met: from Russians like Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny, who paid with their lives to challenge Putin, to Ukrainians who buried their dead relatives in Bucha,” the book's annotation reads.

“If you want to understand how Russia got lost and invaded Ukraine, read this heartfelt, stunning story about ordinary people caught up in the madness of Kremlin banditry,” writes BBC correspondent Andrew Harding.

BBC writer and journalist Sarah Rainsford has lived in Moscow since 2014. In 2021, she was deported from Russia as a “security threat.”

London Publishing House Bloomsburyused for the cover of a book about “other Russians” a photo of the evacuation of children by rail in Ukraine in the early days of a full-scale invasion.

Photos of children who were forced to flee the war were taken at Lviv railway station in February 2022 by Magnum Photos photojournalist Emin Ozmen for Der Spiegel.

Screenshot from Emin Ozmena's instagram

“The largest city in western Ukraine became a hotbed for people fleeing attacks further east (perhaps the author was referring to the west — N.B. ed.) — from Kiev, Kharkov and other cities. Tens of thousands want to continue their journey to Poland, Hungary and Romania. Hundreds of exhausted, frozen people huddle at Lviv railway station. They crawl over the tracks, the children scream. The security service nervously pushes out individuals. Volunteers distribute tea and sandwiches. Most wait all day for a train abroad, many wait in vain,” Emin Ozman captioned the photo on his Instagram.

As he writes”Chitomo”, about this incident on his page in the social network “X” reportedUkrainian-American writer Tatyana Danford.

Screenshot of Tatiana Danford's publication on the social network “X”

Tatyana Danford asked the writer to comment on the choice of photos for the cover of the book and urged the publisher to be more responsible in the choice of illustrations, to do even better their work.

“The original photograph you use to promote your book (about Russia) was used in an article about the resilience of Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian railway system, during Russia's war in Ukraine,” Tatiana Danford wrote in a public address to the writer.

“This war should be described as “Russia's war in Ukraine”, and not “Ukrainian war”, - Tatiana noted on her page in the social network “X”.

The full-scale war in Ukraine is covered by photographers, journalists, and documentarians from all over the world. Thousands of photos of the Russian-Ukrainian war through the eyes of foreign photojournalists can be seen in online and print editions.

Recently Ukrainian professional media about books and book publishing in Ukraine and the world”Chitomo” published material that the British publishing house Bloomsburyposted a photo of Ukrainian children on the cover of a book about Russia.

BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford's autobiographical book “Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War” was published in August this year.

Screenshot from the publisher's website

“This is the story of how Vladimir Putin changed Russia so profoundly that he was able to start the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Sarah focuses on the extraordinary characters she met: from Russians like Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny, who paid with their lives to challenge Putin, to Ukrainians who buried their dead relatives in Bucha,” the book's annotation reads.

“If you want to understand how Russia got lost and invaded Ukraine, read this heartfelt, stunning story about ordinary people caught up in the madness of Kremlin banditry,” writes BBC correspondent Andrew Harding.

BBC writer and journalist Sarah Rainsford has lived in Moscow since 2014. In 2021, she was deported from Russia as a “security threat.”

London Publishing House Bloomsburyused for the cover of a book about “other Russians” a photo of the evacuation of children by rail in Ukraine in the early days of a full-scale invasion.

Photos of children who were forced to flee the war were taken at Lviv railway station in February 2022 by Magnum Photos photojournalist Emin Ozmen for Der Spiegel.

Screenshot from Emin Ozmena's instagram

“The largest city in western Ukraine became a hotbed for people fleeing attacks further east (perhaps the author was referring to the west — N.B. ed.) — from Kiev, Kharkov and other cities. Tens of thousands want to continue their journey to Poland, Hungary and Romania. Hundreds of exhausted, frozen people huddle at Lviv railway station. They crawl over the tracks, the children scream. The security service nervously pushes out individuals. Volunteers distribute tea and sandwiches. Most wait all day for a train abroad, many wait in vain,” Emin Ozman captioned the photo on his Instagram.

As he writes”Chitomo”, about this incident on his page in the social network “X” reportedUkrainian-American writer Tatyana Danford.

Screenshot of Tatiana Danford's publication on the social network “X”

Tatyana Danford asked the writer to comment on the choice of photos for the cover of the book and urged the publisher to be more responsible in the choice of illustrations, to do even better their work.

“The original photograph you use to promote your book (about Russia) was used in an article about the resilience of Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian railway system, during Russia's war in Ukraine,” Tatiana Danford wrote in a public address to the writer.

“This war should be described as “Russia's war in Ukraine”, and not “Ukrainian war”, - Tatiana noted on her page in the social network “X”.

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