Grateful to be awarded for my 2021 documentation of the summer wildfires in Yakutia with the regional prize, Europe, Stories, of the 2022 Wold Press Photo Contest. I thought the world will focus on fighting climate change finally. Instead we are set back to the beginning of the 20th century... This story wouldn’t have been possible without dear @lekon_v , @lena_alx, @eseniasofronova, @balantyn_surkuop + @zhirkovairina99 and so many more! ・・・ “This story of forest fires portrays the issue in a haunting, yet poetic way. [...] From human displacement, to degradation of the built environment, and the impacts on wildlife. The photographer effectively presents the physical effects of rising temperatures in what should be one of the coldest environments on Earth. The work is an urgent call to action.” – #WPPh2022 Contest global jury. See first comment for individual captions.⁣ ⁣ Sakha, also known as Yakutia, which extends over more than three million square kilometers in the far northeast of the Russian Federation, experienced devastating wildfires, severe smoke pollution, and melting of its permafrost in 2021. By mid-August, more than 17.08 million hectares had been ravaged by fire, according to Greenpeace Russia – larger than the areas burned by fires in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the US, and Canada combined. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme reports that the Arctic is heating three times as fast as the global average.⁣ ⁣ –⁣ ⁣ ⁣