Latest news with #MikhailTereshchenko
Russia Today
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Russian photographer banned from collecting prize in EU
The World Press Photo Foundation has blocked the winner of its 2025 contest, Mikhail Tereshchenko, from attending next month's awards ceremony in Amsterdam, after anti-government activists complained that a Russian journalist had been praised for covering protests in Georgia. Tereshchenko, who has been a TASS staff photographer since 2017 and is known for his expressive imagery, was recognized for a photo series documenting mass anti-government protests in Georgia last year. The jury, judging his work anonymously, praised the series for highlighting the 'use of fireworks as a new urban weapon' and for capturing the dynamics of 'democratic movements.' However, when the author's identity was revealed, activists claimed they were 'worried and offended' by the recognition of a Russian state media photojournalist. World Press Photo admitted that 'the authenticity of the photographs themselves, and the events they document are not in question' – but caved to activist pressure and announced on Friday that 'Mikhail Tereshchenko is no longer invited to the winners programme and the award ceremony in Amsterdam.' 'Given the increased tensions on the European continent, at this stage we are no longer able to facilitate a guest from a state-controlled Russian organisation.' Moscow denounced the move as politically motivated discrimination, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling it 'a self-inflicted wound' on World Press Photo's reputation. Read more EU denies Russian news agency accreditation 'This is such a disgraceful [excuse] that they would be better off staying silent. The question arises: will only photographs with neutral subjects – nature, flowers, butterflies – be accepted for the competition?' she wrote on Telegram on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move 'defies common sense and goes against the spirit of journalistic solidarity.' Meanwhile, the head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, labeled the decision 'cancel culture,' accusing Europe of discriminating against Russians 'on the basis of their ethnicity.' Established in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is widely regarded as the world's most prestigious photojournalism competition, with the stated mission to 'connect the world to the stories that matter.' Zakharova noted that TASS photographers have received more than 25 World Press Photo awards between 1956 and 1992.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
World Press Photo award withdraws invitation to award ceremony for Russian
The World Press Photo-2025 international award has withdrawn an invitation to the award ceremony for Russian Mikhail Tereshchenko. Earlier, the photographer from the Russian state news agency TASS received the award for his photographs of anti-government protests in Georgia. Source: World Press Photo Details: The organisers explained their decision on the contest's website as a result of the growing "tensions on the European continent". The organisers called it an "uncomfortable fact" that a Russian working for a Russian propaganda agency was awarded for covering the protests in Georgia. World Press Photo also stated that the jury has limited information about the contestants when selecting entries, which is usually limited to nationality and gender. Meanwhile, the judges do not know the names of the photographers or their places of work. Meanwhile, Mikhail Tereshchenko's work met the competition's evaluation criteria and was authentic. The award said it would try to improve the rules and procedures for selecting participants. Joumana El Zein Khoury, the executive director of the competition, said that World Press Photo would not cancel the award to the Russian in order not to disregard the established rules. "We will work to improve our rules and procedures, but must always apply them fairly and without exception. Our contest has a global reach and its rules need to be applicable to very different contexts. Any change of rule to reflect one specific context will also have implications for very different ones," added Jumana El Zein Khoury, the Executive Director of the competition. The organisers of the prize noted that they did not agree with the phrase "liberation of Mariupol", which Russian Mikhail Tereshchenko used in an interview in March 2025. They recognised that part of Ukraine's territory is occupied by the Russian Federation, including Mariupol. "While the Russian government and TASS have disputed some of these statements, we consider them simple facts," World Press Photo added. Background: This year's World Press Photo jury selected two Russians and a Belarusian among the regional winners. The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF) condemned this decision and called for compliance with standards of ethics, impartiality, and transparency. The UAPF stated that awarding Russian photographers who express the position of Russian state ideology contributes to sympathy for the aggressor. In addition, the award visually paired two works. One depicts a six-year-old Ukrainian girl suffering from panic attacks after fleeing shelling. The other shows a wounded Donetsk People's Republic soldier who fought for Russia. Following criticism, the jury publicly apologised for the decision and admitted that the combination created "an overly simplistic and false equivalence". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two Russians and Belarusian awarded by World Press Photo 2025 – Ukrainian photographer community reacts
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP) has condemned the results of the 2025 World Press Photo international competition, where two Russians, a Belarusian and a group of German photographers were among the regional winners – some of them with projects focused on Ukraine and the war. Source: official statement by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP) Details: UAPP said it was surprised by the jury's selection and demanded adherence to ethical standards, impartiality and transparency. Quote: "By rewarding Russian photographers who serve as expressors of the state ideology of the Russian Federation, the competition makes the position of the aggressor visible, and thus contributes to the substitution of concepts: instead of condemning the aggressor, it emphasises sympathy for him. In our opinion, such an award does not meet the stated goal of the competition, which is to connect the world with important stories, especially in the situation of the war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 11 years." Underground Field Hospital. Photo: Nanna Heitmann Details: The UAPF Board stated that fair voting is only possible if it is impartial, as attention should be paid to photographers who "reflect the truth and give a voice to those who are often silenced". Which works won awards For the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, a photojournalist from Russia won the competition. The winner is Mikhail Tereshchenko, a photo correspondent for the Russian state news agency TASS. He was awarded in the Stories category for his series Protests in Georgia, which documented anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi against the suspension of Georgia's EU accession talks. Another Russian, Aliona Kardash, won in the Long-Term Projects category with her project It Smells of Smoke at Home. Although she resides in Germany, her main focus was the "psychological detachment of modern Russia from reality, where war is called a 'special operation'." It Smells of Smoke at Home. Photo: Aliona Kardash In the Singles category for Europe, the jury selected two works depicting the war in Ukraine. They were described as a "visual pair" showing two reflections of the region's reality. German photographer Florian Bachmeier captured six-year-old Angelina from Kharkiv Oblast, who suffers from panic attacks after fleeing shelling. The work is titled Beyond the Trenches and, according to the author, "became the emotional center of the European bloc". In contrast, German photographer Nanna Heitmann presented a photo titled Underground Field Hospital, showing a wounded militant from the so-called Donetsk People's Republic who fought on the side of the Russian Armed Forces. Protests in Georgia. Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko In the Southeast Asia and Oceania category, Belarusian photographer Tatyana Chypsanova won with a project about the ancestors of the Māori Ngāi Tahu tribe in New Zealand. "Winning photos are those that make us stop, or at least pause and think, not just scroll on. Many of these images transcend the moment in which they were taken – they have become symbols of something significant from a social, political or historical point of view," said Finbarr O'Reilly, European jury chair, justifying the selection. Reactions from photographers The announcement of the winners immediately sparked heated debate within the photography community, including among Ukrainian photojournalists. Serhii Korovainyi, a photojournalist, also shared his reaction. Quote: "From my perspective, this is an unempathic, shallow manipulation driven by visual resemblance that removes responsibility for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine from 'ordinary Russians' – both military and civilians. It encourages Russian guiltwashing. It is entirely inappropriate during a war of choice led by the Russian Federation. One of the winning stories by a photographer of Russian origin, Aliona Kardash, is about Russian society during the war, its struggles and suffering. It is titled It Smells of Smoke at Home. Ukrainian cities also smell of smoke. From Russian missiles and drones that kill our civilians and soldiers – many of whom were civilians just yesterday. Russian cities will stop smelling of smoke the moment Russian troops leave Ukraine. At that moment, Russian 'boys' will stop dying in basements in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and Angelina will return home to her Kupiansk." Screenshot: Yulia Kochetova on Instagram Details: Last year's World Press Photo winner Yulia Kochetova also criticised the jury's decision. Quote: "Obviously, I am surprised to see so much attention to the narrative of the 'Russian soul' among this year's regional winners. I can't imagine how Georgian photographers feel because their protests against Russian influence were shown through the images of a photographer from a Russian state agency. This is a personal responsibility – how this war will be told in years to come. It is important to continue to testify and document." Screenshot: Vlada Liberova on Instagram More details: Documentary photographer Vlada Liberova also joined the discussion. Quote: "So you really think that calling a photo of a young Ukrainian girl who suffered from Russian aggression and a photo of a wounded occupier in occupied territory a 'visual pair' is a good idea?" Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
