Photographer with Kremlin media ties disqualified from German photography prize after backlash
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A photo series about Russian-occupied Mariupol that was originally shortlisted for the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Award has been disqualified after Ukrainian media covered the photographer's work for Kremlin-linked media.
Photographer Valery Melnikov lashed out at the decision on his Instagram on Aug. 10, declaring that "an artist does not owe anyone proof or justification."
"I have been documenting the situation in Mariupol and the surrounding region since 2022. ⠀ This is my long-term personal project," he claimed.
Melnikov has previously said that his photography is focused on documenting the suffering of civilians. Yet much of his work has aligned with, and at times reinforced, the narratives promoted by the Kremlin-backed media outlets for which he has worked.
His biography on the World Press Photo's website indicates that he has worked for Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), a Russian state-owned news agency, since 2009. However, Melnikov's Aug. 10 post appears to indicate that he no longer works for RIA Novosti.
Rossiya Segodnya oversees several major media brands within Russia, including RIA Novosti and Sputnik.
In 2023, the state-run Victory Museum in Moscow held an exhibition of his work from the occupied territories. According to the state-run museum, Melnikov's works tell the "poignant stories" of families being "reunited" after Russia's "liberation" of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Given the extensive surveillance imposed by Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian territories, it is highly unlikely that Melnikov could have worked in Mariupol without the knowledge — and approval — of the occupation authorities.
Media outlet PetaPixel reported on Aug. 11 that Leica had said that Melnikov's photo series could no longer remain on the shortlist for the Oskar Barnack Award "following a legal and compliance review."
According to Melnikov's Instagram post, representatives of the award brought up their concerns over him being a "Kremlin-media-linked photographer," which is a term used to refer to him in the title of the Kyiv Independent's article about his work.
