RUSSIAN CRISIS
“The day the 18 Russian diplomats were expelled was unusual in that my colleagues and I had no precise information in advance. If I remember correctly, it wasn’t until the afternoon of that day, 19 April, that it emerged that a Russian special plane was flying to Prague, and as such it was probably for the expelled Russians. After ascertaining the time of its arrival, I set off for the fence around Prague’s airport at Dobrovíz so I could take photos of its arrival. I was surprised when I arrived there at the number of plane-spotters standing at the fence. My colleagues from the agency and I then rushed to Terminal 3 where a large amount of personal items of the expelled diplomats and their families were being checked in. After some time, a bus arrived with the Russians, who then waited in line to check in, arousing great media interest. It was very lucky that the plane landed in an area where the doors were visible from behind the fence. In this way, I was able to take photos of the people boarding, even though it was far away and the view was not clear. A few tens of minutes before departure, I set off towards the viewing point in Kněževes, from where I took photos of the plane’s take-off.”
I was born in 1985 in Prague. After studying at the Communication Technology Technical School and beginning studies at college, I joined the newspaper Šíp, transferring a year later to the newly established photography department at the Deník central newsroom. I’ve also been collaborating for many years with the Czech National Ballet, and since 2017 also with the European Pressphoto Agency.
