Mstyslav Chernov ( uk, Мстислав Андрійович Чернов; born 1985) is a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...

photographer, photojournalist, filmmaker, war correspondent and novelist known for his coverage of the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

War in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regula ...

, including the downing of flight MH17, Syrian civil war, Battle of Mosul in Iraq, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, including the

Siege of Mariupol The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May 2022, as part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Militia) and the Ukrainian Armed ...

(for this work he received the Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award, the Georgiy Gongadze Award, the

Knight International Journalism Award The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

s, and the Biagio Agnes Award, Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award,

Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award The Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award is presented annually by Colby College to a member of the newspaper profession who has contributed to the country's journalistic achievement. The award is named for Elijah Parish Lovejoy, and established in 1952 ...

Free Media Awards Free Media Awards (formerly: Gerd Bucerius Prize for Free Press in Eastern Europe, ) is the press prizes awarded by the two foundations The Fritt Ord Foundation and the ZEIT-Stiftung. History and prize consideration The prize was launched in ...

) as well as for his diverse photography exhibitions. Chernov is an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

journalist and the President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF). Chernov's materials have been published and aired by multiple news outlets worldwide, including CNN,

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

, and others. He has both won and been a finalist for prestigious awards, including the

Livingston Award The Livingston Awards at the University of Michigan are American journalism awards issued to media professionals under the age of 35 for local, national, and international reporting. They are the largest, all-media, general reporting prizes in Ame ...

Rory Peck Award The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events.Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

Press Freedom Prize, and various Royal Television Society awards. Chernov has been wounded several times while working in

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. He has been a member of "Ukrainian PEN" since July 2022.

Career in photography and journalism

Fine-art and documentary photography: 2005–2013

Chernov started his career in photography in 2005, working for a local Kharkiv news agency ''MediaPort''. He gained notoriety in 2008 when he received the 1st prize at a local photography exhibition "Kharkiv through the eyes of its inhabitants". In the same year, he had his first personal photography exhibition "''Musica per somnia''," conceived and organized with assistance of

Yuriy Yanko Yuriy Yanko ( uk, Юрій Володимирович Янко, ''Yuriy Volodymyrovych Yanko'') is a Ukrainian conductor. Born in Kharkiv, Yanko completed the first part of his musical studies in his native town at Special Music School (1980). ...

, the Director of

Kharkiv Philharmonic Society The Kharkiv Philharmonic Society ( uk, Харківська обласна філармонія) is a leading musical organization in Ukraine, promoting classical music, contemporary music, and Ukrainian folk music. The leading group active in th ...

, who was impressed by Chernov's photographs of

Sayaka Shoji is a Japanese classical violinist. She was the first Japanese and youngest winner at the Paganini Competition in Genoa in 1999. Biography Shoji was born in Tokyo into an artistic family (her mother is a painter; her grandmother, a poet) and spe ...

, a Japanese violinist, then performing with Kharkiv Philarmonics. In 2009, Chernov won another first place award in local photo expo "Almost disappearing Kharkiv", covering crumbling examples of the city's older architecture. Starting in 2008, Chernov worked with Chornobyl Children International, the Novick Cardiac Alliance, photographing cardiac surgeries. Chernov's transition to documentary photography continued. In 2012 he lived in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, focusing on local health care and cultural projects. Meanwhile, by 2013, Chernov's work gained national recognition. His 2013 photographs landed him the first place in the Ukrainian contest "Photographer of the Year" in nomination documentary photography. In the same year, Chernov was a winner of the

Pentax is a brand name used primarily by the Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company Ricoh for DSLR cameras, lenses, sport optics (including binoculars and rifle scopes), and CCTV optics. The Pentax brand is also used by Hoya Corpora ...

Awards Ukraine 2013 and Best Press Photographer, Ukraine, nomination "portrait". He photographed in over forty countries and had another personal exhibition, ''Rainy Season'', featuring images of the Far East. In 2013, Chernov became the President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF). Chernov's

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often calle ...

project ''Peeking in Windows'' – placing enlarged old photographs into windows of abandoned buildings – gained the attention of the national press and was repeated in subsequent years. In 2013, Chernov was invited to participate in

Unframe UnFrame collective is an independent resource of documentary photography exclusively managed by an international group of photographers dedicated to shining the spotlight on social, political and everyday issues that surround us. The collective wa ...

, an international project around documentary photography. File:Zoloti Vorota station. Kiev Metro. Kiev, Ukraine, Eastern Europe.jpg, Zoloti Vorota subway station,

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, 2007 File:Street barber. Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). Vietnam.jpg, Street

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, Vietnam, 2009 File:Winged Victory (Nike) bronze statue against background of Trajan's Column and dome of Santa Maria di Loreto church. Rome, Italy.jpg,

Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome Santa Maria di Loreto is a 16th-century church in Rome, central Italy, located just across the street from the Trajan's Column, near the giant Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II. History After the Jubilee of 1500, the association of bakers (Sodali ...

, Italy, 2009 File:Handmade cigar production. Manufacture worker. Tabacalera de Garcia Factory. Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic (7).jpg, Cigar Factory,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, 2011 File:Average Sri Lankan middle aged fisherman (close up outdoor portrait). Sri Lanka.jpg, Sri Lankan fisherman, 2011

Journalism

In the summer of 2013, while photographing in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, Chernov found himself in the middle of

Gezi Park protests A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the Urban Development, urban development plan for Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-i ...

. The images of night violence impressed Chernov and triggered a shift from

fine-art photography Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stand ...

and documentary photography to conflict and war reporting. File:Casualties of Taksim protests. Events of June 3, 2013-4.jpg, June 3, 2013 File:People of Taksim protests. Events of June 5, 2013.jpg, June 5, 2013 File:Protesters action during Gezi park night protests. Events of June 15, 2013.jpg, June 15, 2013 File:Police action during Gezi park night protests in Istanbul. Events of June 15, 2013.jpg, June 15, 2013 File:Police action during Gezi park night protests in Istanbul. Events of June 15, 2013-2.jpg, June 15, 2013

Euromaidan

In late 2013, Ukraine's capital

became embroiled in mass protests –

Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...

which culminated in bloodshed,

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

, and the ousting of the Ukrainian president

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of D ...

. Chernov photographed the action as a MediaPort and

correspondent. As violence intensified, he was attacked and wounded several times. In early December 2013, pro-Yanukovych police targeted and attacked members of the press, injuring Chernov's hand with a

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club * Baton (law enforcement) * Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conduct ...

, tearing up his press credentials, and destroying his photography equipment. In January 2014, ignoring Chernov's insignia that identified him as a member of the press, a pro-Yanukovych policeman deliberately threw a

stun grenade A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a less-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, they produce a blinding flash of light and an extremely lou ...

into Chernov, injuring his legs and eye with

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam ...

. The events in Kyiv attracted considerable international attention. Many international reporters flocked to cover the Ukrainian Revolution which later transitioned into the annexation of Crimea and

. Chernov provided the international reporters with local assistance, also starting as a translator and a

stringer Stringer may refer to: Structural elements * Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened * Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal * Stringer (stairs), ...

for

. Chernov's background in photography and his partnership with other reporters allowed him to polish his video filming skills and become a regular freelancer for Associated Press in May 2014. File:Euroaidan 2013 Mstyslav Chernov-15.jpg, Protesters, November 30, 2013 File:Berkut special police soldier holding a shotgun pointed at the line of protesters, Hrushevskoho str. Euromaidan Protests. Events of Jan 19, 2014.jpg, Berkut man pointing gut at protesters, January 19, 2014 File:Protester facing the massive fire set by protesters to prevent internal forces from crossing the barricade line. Kyiv, Ukraine. Jan 22, 2014.jpg, January 22, 2014 File:Car put on fire in the barricade line as clashes in Kyiv, Ukraine. Events of February 18, 2014-2.jpg, February 18, 2014 File:Dead bodies in a makeshift hospital and morgue in the hotel Ukraine lobby. Clashes in Kyiv, Ukraine. Events of February 20, 2014.jpg, Bodies of protesters, February 20, 2014

Career with Associated Press

By July 2014, Chernov already worked as an independent

multi-format In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform softwar ...

(text, photo, and video) journalist for

. Russian military intervention to

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

had created another conflict zone in Ukraine, and Chernov covered

in 2014, becoming one of very few journalists who reported the conflict from both sides. On his third day working as an independent AP journalist,

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian forces on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. Cont ...

was shot down in the area, and Chernov provided first images of the incident. Chernov's reporting played an essential role in The Associated Press' coverage of the event. For his coverage of the event, Chernov was awarded "Young Talent of the Year" Award by Royal Television Society. In subsequent years as an AP journalist and war correspondent, Chernov covered the war in Syria and the Battle of Mosul in Iraq as well as the

2015 European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to request ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. In 2017, in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

, a sniper bullet pierced through Chernov's camera and stuck in his

ballistic vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

. Chernov's Iraqi videos were finalist entries for

Rory Peck Award The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events.Royal Television Society awards in 2017 and 2018. Chernov's reports were published worldwide, including being picked up by

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...

Military Times Sightline Media Group, formerly Gannett Government Media and Army Times Publishing Company, is a United States company that publishes newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications about the U.S. and other militaries. The company's '' ...

Navy Times ''Navy Times'' (ISSN 0028-1697) is an American newspaper published 26 times per year serving active, reserve and retired United States Navy personnel and their families, providing news, information, analysis, community lifestyle features, educa ...

Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American conservative news outlet which consists principally of an online/digital website with a weekly magazine, based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group, which is ...

. Chernov's photographs were also published in the

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

, Daily Telegraph,

Dailymail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

, Deutsche Welle,

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History Th ...

, and others, and his videos were aired on

Euronews Euronews (styled on-air in lowercase as euronews) is a European television news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. The network began broadcasting on 1 January 1993 and covers world news from a European perspective. The majority of Euron ...

, CNN,

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...

, Sky News,

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...

, and others. In 2016, a Royal Television Society judge commented that "given the range, volume, and global distribution of hernov'sfootage, there may have been days last year when we watched hernov's reportingall day." In the spring of 2020, Mstyslav Chernov worked in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

, Syria, covering the migration crisis in

. From May to July and from September to October, the course of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine The COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Ukraine when the country's first case was confirmed to be hospitalized in Chernivtsi Oblast on 3 March 2020, a ...

is filmed. In August 2020, the journalist worked in Belarus, covering the

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

. After the announcement that

Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luka ...

was the winner of the elections, large-scale protests began. In

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

, Chernov was captured and beaten by Belarusian law enforcement officers. The photographer lost consciousness after being beaten in the police van. He regained consciousness already in the ambulance. During protests Chernov recorded the moment when a man in a bloody shirt fell to the ground. Later it was established that this is protester Oleksandr Taraikovsky. Chernov's photo and video became incontrovertible evidence that Taraikovsky was shot at point-blank range by members of the special forces on August 10, 2020 in Minsk, while government media tried to portray the incident as something that happened due to the carelessness of a protester. After that, Chernov was deported from the country, and his accreditation was not extended. During 2020 and 2021, he also works in

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is mos ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, Lithuania, and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...

. In February and March 2022, during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, Chernov and the freelancer

Evgeniy Maloletka Evgeniy Konstantinovich Maloletka ( uk, Євген Малолєтка, russian: Евгений Малолетка) is a Ukrainian journalist and photographer. He covered the siege of Mariupol during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and, in particu ...

, working for AP, stayed in

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast ( Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russi ...

, which was encircled by the Russian troops, under

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

, and extensively bombed, whereas the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Defense Ministry claimed that Russia only targets military installations. Chernov and Maloletka were among the few journalists, and, according to the AP, the only international journalists in Mariupol during that period, and their photographs were extensively used by Western media to cover the situation. According to Chernov, on 11 March they were in a hospital taking photos when they were taken of the city with the assistance of Ukrainian soldiers. They managed to escape from Mariupol unharmed. On 23 May 2022 Chernov, together with Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko, received the

for their work in Mariupol, as announced by the

International Center for Journalists International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is a non-profit, professional organization located in Washington, D.C., United States, that promotes journalism worldwide. Since 1984, the International Center for Journalists has worked directly with ...

. From the footage which Chernov collected in Mariupol, together with the team of Frontline ( PBS channel) the journalist made the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol". The film was included in the competition of

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

in the World Cinema Documentary Competition category. The world premiere of the film will take place at the festival in January 2023. File:Relatives of pro-Russian rebels mourning for fighters killed in a battle for Marinka near Donetsk.jpg, Mourning of fighters, Donetsk, Ukraine, June 2015 File:Women and children among Syrian refugees striking at the platform of Budapest Keleti railway station. Refugee crisis. Budapest, Hungary, Central Europe, 4 September 2015. (3).jpg, Syrian refugees in

, September 2015 File:Mourning people captured during civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks victims. Wesern Europe, France, Paris, November 14, 2015.jpg, The aftermath of Paris Terrorist Attacks, November 2015 File:ISOF soldier, Mosul, Northern Iraq, Western Asia. 28 November, 2016.jpg,

, Iraq, November 2016 File:Iraq IDP Crisis refugees in Mosul, Northern Iraq, Western Asia. 06 November, 2016.jpg, Mosul, Iraq, November 2016

Chernov's style

Outside observers note Chernov's deep compassion to humanity that makes his imagery influential. They also note the vast spectrum of his creative work and his "exceptional eye for detail." A Ukrainian photographer and a photography exhibition curator in Kharkiv, Volodymyr Ohloblin, commented on Chernov's work: "Mstyslav has exceptionally deep vision it's obvious that he feels for the people on his photographs. Mstyslav has a good intuition, a rare gift, how to convey in photographs what he sees." The Director of the European news section of

, Caro Kriel, said: "Through his involvement in some critical stories, Chernov has quickly proved himself to be a rare, multiformat journalist with an uncanny ability to develop a story in the most difficult conditions. He is a natural visual storyteller and his signature trait – compassion for humanity that suffuses almost every image – has ensured that his work has had an immediate impact." A judge of Royal Television Society Awards commented that " hernovhas an exceptional eye for detail and a full range of shots across his portfolio, capturing emotion and conveying the fear and sometimes panic that was at the heart of so many news events last year." Chernov himself believes that war should not be glamorized but pictured as is. Commenting on his own work, Chernov noted that he doesn't necessarily enjoy war journalism, but feels that he's at the right place, albeit his work might transition at some point to a different kind of photography, for example, to working for National Geographic. The photographer believes that sometimes you have to take risks in order to take a good photo: "You have to compromise: to show what is happening, you need to be in the center of events. If you take care of yourself, you will never take a photograph of the most important thing". Chernov prefers to work "light," carrying simpler, smaller equipment, that could always be on him and ready to shoot at all times. He works with small cameras and usually doesn't use a

tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

Writing

In January 2020, Chernov presented his

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...

''Dreamtime'' ( uk, Часи сновидінь), a 500-page fiction conceived and written over an 8-year period. Alluding to

aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his col ...

, the novel examines societies' collective experiences ("dreams") with war and conflict and is loosely based on real events that Chernov witnessed during the War in Donbass, the Migration crisis in Europe and others. It features four intertwined plot lines that span across vast geography from

Eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or east Ukraine ( uk, Східна Україна, Skhidna Ukrayina; russian: Восточная Украина, Vostochnaya Ukraina) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Khark ...

to Southern Europe, then to Southeast Asia, yet united by a common theme of internal conflict resolution. The novel was launched in Kyiv as a focal point of a video art exhibition devoted to the role of media in creating public collective experiences. The novel was credited for its creative literary application of dreams to showcase protagonists' psyches and for its "serious" and "masterly prose.". The novel was included in the TOP books of 2020 by volunteers, writers and military journalists about the Russian-Ukrainian war according to "Army FM". Literary expert and critic Tetyana Trofymenko believes that "The Dreamtime" is unexpectedly strong and stylistically formed prose for a debutant. Journalist and critic Yuryi Volodarsky called the novel the first large-scale literary text in Ukrainian literature in which the war in Donbas is shown from the other side of the front. "A novel for a debut is surprisingly bright, but in so many moments it is uncomfortable that it is better to ignore it. "The Dreamtime" is devoid of both the author's evaluative judgments and the transmission of "correct" views from the mouths of the characters. Chernov is first and foremost a humanist, this is evident in his prose no less than in photos from hot spots". In September 2022, the Boston-based ASP Publishing House will release an English translation of the novel under the title “The Dreamtime”. In 2022, the photo book "Independents" («Незалежні») was published (“Ваш автограф” publishing house), which included 144 pictures taken by 60 Ukrainian photographers over the past 30 years, from the declaration of independence to the pandemic. The author of the idea and texts was Mstyslav Chernov, the image editor was the well-known Ukrainian photographer Mykhailo Palinchak. In October 2022, Chernov spoke on behalf of Ukraine at the 74th

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...

Other photo projects

Project "Looking into the windows"

Since 2013, Chernov has been implementing the "Looking into Windows" («Зазираючи у вікна») project in Kyiv. In 2013, pre-revolutionary portraits, mostly by Kharkiv photographer Oleksiy Ivanytskyi, decorated the windows of the house on the street. Yaroslaviv Val, 15. Most of the photographs depicted people from Kharkiv, including a self-portrait of the photographer with his granddaughter. Photographer Volodymyr Ogloblin became a partner at this stage — the photos used were from his collection. In 2014, the second part of the project was placed in the windows of the building at Shevchenko Street, 5. This stage was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko. His portraits painted by contemporary artists of the Maidan were selected for the project. In December 2020, the third stage of the project was the exhibition "Sleeping House" (“Сплячий будинок”) in partnership with the NGO "Renovation Map" - an installation with archival photos integrated into the windows of the "Dragon House" - an abandoned building on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, 19. In the photo were archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional clothes, by Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov. In the photos, people's eyes were "closed" with the help of computer graphics, because "people are increasingly distant from reality and plunge into the world created by media and advertising". The main element of the exhibition was a large portrait of

Hryhorii Skovoroda Hryhorii Skovoroda, also Gregory Skovoroda or Grigory Skovoroda ( la, Gregorius Scovoroda; uk, Григорій Савич Сковорода, ''Hryhorii Savych Skovoroda''; russian: Григо́рий Са́ввич Сковорода́, ...

Awards

Exhibitions

References

Literature cited

External links

Mstyslav Chernov's personal webpage

Mstyslav Chernov's page on UnFrame

Mstyslav Chernov's page on UAPF website

Mstyslav Chernov's page in Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernov, Mstyslav Living people Ukrainian journalists Associated Press reporters Ukrainian photographers Associated Press photographers Artists from Kharkiv 1985 births War correspondents Writers from Kharkiv Film people from Kharkiv Ukrainian writers Ukrainian novelists