Ron Haviv

Veteran war photographer Ron Haviv was on assignment in Ukraine for The Economist's 1843 magazine for a month after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. While there, Haviv took a series of phenomenal images documenting both atrocities and everyday conditions of a country under siege. He told visual stories in stunning sets of images that reminded us of the importance of every human life.

Haviv was often the first on the scene, reporting on things as yet unknown to the rest of the world. Early on in the war, he shot images of underground hospitals, people fleeing in trains and resting in underground bunkers. Later, he took harrowing images of the desolation and destruction in Bucha, people crossing the bridge in Irpin, mothers mourning their sons. In a rare, early exclusive, Haviv also shot portraits of Volodymyr Zelensky in his fortress when The Economist became the first Western media to interview him. These images were published daily in The Economist's 1843 magazine online: one set of his photos was viewed over 600,000 – the second most viewed piece of The Economist's 1843 magazine content in the past year. The photos offered a rare, visceral insight into the realities of the war for those on the ground. Haviv’s images are sad and beautiful: they make it hard for the reader to look away. Drawing public attention to individuals on the ground was a real public service. These images will stand the test of time.