War in Ukraine has "disappeared to the back-pages", says Rutland photo-journalist
Jeremy Hunter will share his experience documenting the "horror" happening in Ukraine at a presentation tonight
Last updated 4th Oct 2022
A photo-journalist who lived in Rutland for over two-decades says it's vital that the "horror" happening in Ukraine isn't forgotten about.
79-year-old Jeremy Hunter will share his work documenting the lives of people in Ukraine who have suffered the most at the hands of Russian aggression at a presentation in Cotterstock tonight.
Having spent a lifetime reporting from hostile environments, he says he's concerned that the events still unfolding in Eastern Europe are slipping to the back pages:
"Everyday the news about Ukraine was on the frontpage, it was a story that was going around the world. Today, in October, that story has actually disappeared to the back-pages, or indeed to the middle pages.
'People have actually now forgotten about what is going on there, and so that's what I'm trying to do now, to draw peoples attention to the horrors that are taking place.'
'A story which must be told'
Having first picked up a camera when he was just 12 years old, Jeremy has now taken over 90,000 images from historic periods in countries all around the globe.
From North Korea to Beirut, Jeremy has seen it all, but he says it's the responsibility of people like him to unravel the true devastation that conflict brings.
'I was based in Beirut for a time, I was ambushed there, I had one of my colleagues killed beside me. It's something that you can never get used to but it happens, and I've seen it before and it's always terrible to see.'
'Most people (in Ukraine) that've had their properties destroyed - they have no insurance. You have to ask the question how are they going to survive in winter? We're only probably 6-8 weeks away from some truly awful conditions there. Their properties have been destroyed, they have nothing left, who's going to help them?'
Jeremy says he wants to share his experiences with more people by holding more presentations in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Stamford and Rutland soon.