Editor’s Note: This is a compilation of the best photographs by the Kyiv Post photojournalists taken in 2020. Photo editor Pavlo Podufalov has combined them in pairs that share a visual resemblance, similar or contrasting sense. The choice of photos and subheads is subjective and editorialized. Swipe the photos to see the pairs.
1. Bullet & Life
Families of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action during the Battle of Donetsk Airport in 2014–2015 commemorate them during an official ceremony at a memorial site near Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in Kyiv on Jan. 20, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
People attend a ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the Holocaust in Kyiv’s Babyn Yar on Sept. 29, 2020. The Babyn Yar ravine was a setting of the 1941 Nazi massacre that killed 34,000 Jews. The installation that opened in the Babyn Yar featured reflective metal columns with bullet holes.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Families of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action during the Battle of Donetsk Airport in 2014–2015 commemorate them during an official ceremony at a memorial site near Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in Kyiv on Jan. 20, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
People attend a ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the Holocaust in Kyiv’s Babyn Yar on Sept. 29, 2020. The Babyn Yar ravine was a setting of the 1941 Nazi massacre that killed 34,000 Jews. The installation that opened in the Babyn Yar featured reflective metal columns with bullet holes.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
2. Fire & Smoke
A firefighter extinguishes flames in the forest near the village of Lychmany in Zhytomyr Oblast on April 26, 2020. Forest fires that raged through Zhytomyr Oblast for two weeks in the spring wiped out several small villages, leaving dozens of people homeless.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A fire artist blows out flame during a light show celebrating the Chinese New Year in Kyiv on Jan. 24, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
A firefighter extinguishes flames in the forest near the village of Lychmany in Zhytomyr Oblast on April 26, 2020. Forest fires that raged through Zhytomyr Oblast for two weeks in the spring wiped out several small villages, leaving dozens of people homeless.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A fire artist blows out flame during a light show celebrating the Chinese New Year in Kyiv on Jan. 24, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
3. Freed & United
A boy holds a Ukrainian flag during a celebration of the Unity Day on the Paton Bridge in Kyiv on Jan. 22, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Ukrainian soldier Vitaliy Markiv (C) holds a Ukrainian flag as he gets off a plane during a ceremony to greet him in Kyiv on Nov. 4, 2020. Markiv spent three years in custody in Italy, where he was charged with the murder of an Italian photojournalist.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A boy holds a Ukrainian flag during a celebration of the Unity Day on the Paton Bridge in Kyiv on Jan. 22, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Ukrainian soldier Vitaliy Markiv (C) holds a Ukrainian flag as he gets off a plane during a ceremony to greet him in Kyiv on Nov. 4, 2020. Markiv spent three years in custody in Italy, where he was charged with the murder of an Italian photojournalist.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
4. Seduction & Desire
An elderly man in a mask walks past a heavily-sexualized advertising banner in downtown Kyiv on Aug. 2, 2020. The online advertising market in Ukraine grew by 7% to Hr 13.5 billion ($486 million) in 2020 according to a March 5 report by the Ukrainian Internet Association (UIA).
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
People watch a runway show by Ukrainian designer Ivan Frolov during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv on Aug. 31, 2020. Frolov’s designs explore the theme of seduction and sexuality.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
An elderly man in a mask walks past a heavily-sexualized advertising banner in downtown Kyiv on Aug. 2, 2020. The online advertising market in Ukraine grew by 7% to Hr 13.5 billion ($486 million) in 2020 according to a March 5 report by the Ukrainian Internet Association (UIA).
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
People watch a runway show by Ukrainian designer Ivan Frolov during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv on Aug. 31, 2020. Frolov’s designs explore the theme of seduction and sexuality.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
5. Carelessness & Helplessness
An elderly man wearing a face mask on his nose walks in central Kyiv on April 21, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A young man having a face mask hanging on his sunglasses enjoys warm weather in the Fomin Botanical Garden in downtown Kyiv on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
An elderly man wearing a face mask on his nose walks in central Kyiv on April 21, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A young man having a face mask hanging on his sunglasses enjoys warm weather in the Fomin Botanical Garden in downtown Kyiv on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
6. Grief & Dignity
A man salutes to the portraits of people who died during the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014 at the Heavenly Hundred memorial in Kyiv on Feb. 18, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrsiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrsiuk
A portrait of Olga Kobiuk, one of 11 Ukrainians killed on the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crash in Iran, at the memorial service at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport on Jan. 19, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A man salutes to the portraits of people who died during the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014 at the Heavenly Hundred memorial in Kyiv on Feb. 18, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrsiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrsiuk
A portrait of Olga Kobiuk, one of 11 Ukrainians killed on the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crash in Iran, at the memorial service at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport on Jan. 19, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
7. Soul & Matter
Miners of the Nadiya (“Hope”) coal mine hit their helmets against the ground to make noise at a rally demanding to pay off the wage debts near the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv on June 23, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Children hold the Crimean Tatar flag on Independence Square in Kyiv on May 18, 2020 during a rally marking the 76th anniversary of the deportation of the indigenous population of Crimea by the Soviet Union.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Miners of the Nadiya (“Hope”) coal mine hit their helmets against the ground to make noise at a rally demanding to pay off the wage debts near the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv on June 23, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Children hold the Crimean Tatar flag on Independence Square in Kyiv on May 18, 2020 during a rally marking the 76th anniversary of the deportation of the indigenous population of Crimea by the Soviet Union.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
8. Destruction & Recovery
Technicians repair a Humvee vehicle at a Ukrainian army’s maintenance and overhaul workshop in the city of Zhytomyr on Nov. 20, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
A cemetery burned after the fires in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in the Shkneva village in Kyiv Oblast on April 25, 2020. In April 2020, fires raged for days in the forests and fields of the Exclusion Zone, which was a scene for the catastrophic explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Technicians repair a Humvee vehicle at a Ukrainian army’s maintenance and overhaul workshop in the city of Zhytomyr on Nov. 20, 2020.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
A cemetery burned after the fires in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in the Shkneva village in Kyiv Oblast on April 25, 2020. In April 2020, fires raged for days in the forests and fields of the Exclusion Zone, which was a scene for the catastrophic explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk
9. Abyss & Bridge
An aerial view of the Subway Bridge in Kyiv on Nov. 11, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Two medical workers in protective gear escort an elderly man in a wheelchair to the infectious disease ward of Kyiv’s Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital on Oct. 29, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
An aerial view of the Subway Bridge in Kyiv on Nov. 11, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Two medical workers in protective gear escort an elderly man in a wheelchair to the infectious disease ward of Kyiv’s Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital on Oct. 29, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
10. Remembrance & Spirit
A waiter serves drinks in the BAO restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyiv on June 4, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A member of the Ukrainian honor guard stands next to the memorial wall for soldiers killed in the war in the Donbas on Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders in Kyiv on August 29, 2020. Since the start of Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A waiter serves drinks in the BAO restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyiv on June 4, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A member of the Ukrainian honor guard stands next to the memorial wall for soldiers killed in the war in the Donbas on Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders in Kyiv on August 29, 2020. Since the start of Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
11. Earthly & Heavenly
The light shines through the dome of the Theodosius Pechersky Church in Kyiv during an Orthodox Easter ceremony on April 19, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
The far-right National Corps party members in protective gear suits and medical masks attend a rally near the building of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, on March 17, 2020. They protested against the law on lifting the moratorium on farmland sales and demanded to postpone the decision until the COVID-19 quarantine is over.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
The light shines through the dome of the Theodosius Pechersky Church in Kyiv during an Orthodox Easter ceremony on April 19, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
The far-right National Corps party members in protective gear suits and medical masks attend a rally near the building of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, on March 17, 2020. They protested against the law on lifting the moratorium on farmland sales and demanded to postpone the decision until the COVID-19 quarantine is over.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
12. Protection & Contact
A woman sells eggs from a stall in the city of Cherkasy during the strict COVID-19 quarantine measures on May 6, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A medical worker collects a saliva sample for a COVID-19 test from a resident of an apartment building that was the site of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv Oblast on May 5, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A woman sells eggs from a stall in the city of Cherkasy during the strict COVID-19 quarantine measures on May 6, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A medical worker collects a saliva sample for a COVID-19 test from a resident of an apartment building that was the site of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv Oblast on May 5, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
13. Commemoration & Justice
A staffed wolf is photographed in front of the High Council of Justice building during a rally demanding to dismiss controversial judge Pavlo Vovk on Sept. 1, 2020. “Vovk” means “Wolf” in Ukrainian.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A woman holds a photo of murdered Ukrainian journalist Georgy Gongadze during a commemoration ceremony on Independence Square on Sept. 18, 2020. Twenty years after the murder of Gongadze, its organizers remain unpunished.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A staffed wolf is photographed in front of the High Council of Justice building during a rally demanding to dismiss controversial judge Pavlo Vovk on Sept. 1, 2020. “Vovk” means “Wolf” in Ukrainian.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A woman holds a photo of murdered Ukrainian journalist Georgy Gongadze during a commemoration ceremony on Independence Square on Sept. 18, 2020. Twenty years after the murder of Gongadze, its organizers remain unpunished.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
14. War & Children
Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers killed during the 2014 Battle of Ilovaisk in Russia’s war in the Donbas hold portraits of their deceased loved ones as they attend a commemorative demonstration, a day before the Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders, outside of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv on Aug. 28, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Great-grandson Zakhar looks at his 99-year-old great-grandmother, Valentyna Kulinich, a World War II veteran, wearing old military suit at her apartment in the town of Irpin outside of Kyiv on May 8, 2020. The day marks 75 years since the Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers killed during the 2014 Battle of Ilovaisk in Russia’s war in the Donbas hold portraits of their deceased loved ones as they attend a commemorative demonstration, a day before the Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders, outside of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv on Aug. 28, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Great-grandson Zakhar looks at his 99-year-old great-grandmother, Valentyna Kulinich, a World War II veteran, wearing old military suit at her apartment in the town of Irpin outside of Kyiv on May 8, 2020. The day marks 75 years since the Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
15. Themis & Archangel Michael
A medical worker speaks on phone near the infectious disease ward of the Kyiv Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital on April 9, 2020, early in the time of the coronavirus outbreak. An image of Saint Michael (Mykhailo) the Archangel, the symbol and patron saint of Kyiv, is seen on the ambulance car.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Law enforcers guard the entrance to the courtroom where the hearing of activist Serhiy Sternenko charged with alleged murder took place on June 12, 2020. An image of Themish, a symbol of justice, is seen on the wall.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A medical worker speaks on phone near the infectious disease ward of the Kyiv Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital on April 9, 2020, early in the time of the coronavirus outbreak. An image of Saint Michael (Mykhailo) the Archangel, the symbol and patron saint of Kyiv, is seen on the ambulance car.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Law enforcers guard the entrance to the courtroom where the hearing of activist Serhiy Sternenko charged with alleged murder took place on June 12, 2020. An image of Themish, a symbol of justice, is seen on the wall.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
16. Culture & Nation
A woman wearing face mask, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, walks through the gates painted in the colors of Ukraine’s flag in Kyiv, on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
The light beams of the #StopCulturalQuarantine event are seen in Kyiv on the night of May 12, 2020. The cultural industry protested the closing of theaters and cancelation of events.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A woman wearing face mask, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, walks through the gates painted in the colors of Ukraine’s flag in Kyiv, on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
The light beams of the #StopCulturalQuarantine event are seen in Kyiv on the night of May 12, 2020. The cultural industry protested the closing of theaters and cancelation of events.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
17. Dance & Flexibility
A woman takes pictures of blooming magnolia trees in Fomin Botanical Garden in Kyiv on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A model presents apparel by Elvira Gasanova at the designer’s runway show
during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv on Feb. 1, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A woman takes pictures of blooming magnolia trees in Fomin Botanical Garden in Kyiv on April 13, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A model presents apparel by Elvira Gasanova at the designer’s runway show
during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv on Feb. 1, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
18. Dust & Transparency
A member of the election commission stands next to an elderly woman as she fills out her ballot during the local elections in the village of Rakovychi in Zhytomyr Oblast on Oct. 25, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A view from the Saint Volodymyr Hill Park in central Kyiv during a sandstorm on April 16, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A member of the election commission stands next to an elderly woman as she fills out her ballot during the local elections in the village of Rakovychi in Zhytomyr Oblast on Oct. 25, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A view from the Saint Volodymyr Hill Park in central Kyiv during a sandstorm on April 16, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
19. Responsibility & Powerlessness
A medical worker in protective gear sits outside of the entrance to the infectious disease department of Kyiv’s Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital, amid a spike in coronavirus infections on Oct. 12, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A crowd of commuters walks along the platform at the Palats Sportu metro station on March 12, 2020 in Kyiv, just days before the Ukrainian government imposed the first strict lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, enforcing mask-on policies and social distancing.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A medical worker in protective gear sits outside of the entrance to the infectious disease department of Kyiv’s Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital, amid a spike in coronavirus infections on Oct. 12, 2020.
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin
A crowd of commuters walks along the platform at the Palats Sportu metro station on March 12, 2020 in Kyiv, just days before the Ukrainian government imposed the first strict lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, enforcing mask-on policies and social distancing.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
20. Anticipation & Action
People skate at the outdoor ice rink in Kyiv on Dec. 26, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A woman waits for a runway show to start at the Ukrainian Fashion Week on Aug. 31, 2020 in Kyiv.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
People skate at the outdoor ice rink in Kyiv on Dec. 26, 2020.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
A woman waits for a runway show to start at the Ukrainian Fashion Week on Aug. 31, 2020 in Kyiv.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov
