NPPA (National Press Photographer's Association), Best of Photohournalism, 1st Place, Portrait Series

2009 marked the 30th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and 15 years since the war in Chechnya broke out. In both conflicts the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz) played key, front-line roles. They are the elite of Russia’s armed forces – the country’s toughest and best trained crack force – deployed only in the military’s most secret and dangerous operations. The men portrayed in this series are all senior Spetsnaz officers who fought in Afghanistan, Chechnya and were sent in to put an end to some of the world’s most spectacular terrorist attacks – including the Moscow theatre siege and the Beslan school massacre.