Siege of Mariupol image wins World Press Photo of the Year

Tens of thousands of civilians were injured, killed or had to flee the port city of Mariupol when it became one of Russia's targets in Ukraine. The jury selected Evgeniy Maloletka's photo showing an injured pregnant woman carried from a bombed maternity hospital, as it embodies the horrors of war for the Ukrainian population. The baby was stillborn, and half an hour later the mother died as well.

In his series of nine haunting photos, Mads Nissen portrays the dire situation of the Afghan people, now living under the Taliban, and with a lack of international aid. In this one, Khalil Ahmad, 15, shows a traumatic scar: His parents sold their son's kidney to feed their 11 children. The family was paid an amount that would have taken the father years to earn — if there was even work for him.

Photographer Anush Babajanyan spent four years documenting the impact of the climate crisis and poor water management in four former Soviet countries in Central Asia: Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest lake in world, has lost 90% of its waters. This hot spring emerged on the former bed of the basin.

The district of El Max, in Alexandria, Egypt, has a long tradition as a fishing village. But its residents are being resettled due to rising sea levels and real estate investments. Photographer Mohamed Mahdy is collaborating with the locals to preserve the memory of their home, creating an interactive website with contributions from the community.

The four global winners of the World Press Photo awards were selected among 24 previously revealed regional winners, including this story by Alessandro Cinque, titled "Alpaqueros," the name of farmers in Peru who live by raising alpacas. The animals are very sensitive to heat; as a result of the climate crisis, alapacas are dying, wreaking havoc on the communities.