Vladislav Grigorievich Davidzon (born 7 March 1987) is an artist, writer, editor and publisher, film producer best known for his journalism and chronicling on

post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

politics with an emphasis on cultural affairs. Davidzon is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of '' The Odessa Review'', an anglophone publication that focused on the cultural life of

Odesa, Ukraine Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrat ...

. Davidzon is a nonresident fellow with the

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

at the Eurasia Center and is the author of ''From Odessa with Love'', a novel about modern Odesa. He is known for his daily practice of keeping an artistic daybook/diary and also for his work as a collage artist. In March 2022 he burned his Russian passport in front of the Russian embassy in Paris with former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves holding the lighter.

Early life and education

Davidzon was born in

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

, then capital of the

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Communist ...

, on March 7, 1985, to a family of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

origin. His grandfather was active in the republic's liberalizing political arena and was assassinated. Davidzon moved with his family to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

before emigrating to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1991. His father, Grigory Davidzon, became a "kingmaker" and entrepreneur in the Russophone community of

Brighton Beach Brighton Beach is a List of Brooklyn neighborhoods, neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, within the greater Coney Island area along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Brighton Beach ...

. Davidzon went on to study English literature at

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

. During that time, he was an aide to renowned violinist Nina Beilina. At CUNY was a student of political theorist Marshall Barman as well as Literary Critic

Morris Dickstein Morris Dickstein (February 23, 1940 – March 24, 2021) was an American literary scholar, cultural historian, professor, essayist, book critic, and public intellectual. He was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at CUNY Graduate Center in ...

and poet Matvei Yankelevich. He studied Human Rights Law at the EIUC in Venice, Italy.

Author

In 2011, Davidzon moved to

, where he wrote dispatches on topics relating to the social and cultural landscape of the city. After the

Maidan Revolution The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

, Davidzon founded '' The Odessa Review'', which served as an anglophone platform for this subject. Davidzon's experience in interacting with various local and national politicians and intellectuals were compiled into a collection of essays in his book, ''From Odessa With Love''.

Journalist

Davidzon has resided in Paris since leaving Odesa, serving as the correspondent for ''

Tablet Magazine ''Tablet'' is a conservative American magazine focused on Jewish news and culture, featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, and essays. It was founded in 2009 by editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse and is supported by the Nextbook foundation ...

''. Davidzon writes as a freelancer on issues that concern European politics and cultural affairs and their intersection with

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not simply a faith-based religion, but an orthopraxy and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, ...

. In 2020, Davidzon was approached by Ukrainian operatives connected to the campaign of

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, with offers to propagate news relating to Hunter Biden's laptop. According to CNN "Davidzon said he did not act on the offer, letting it go “as elegantly as possible.” But - he shared what he knew with US authorities". In 2023, Davidzon`s second book received a foreword from Bernard Henri-Levy. Levy has written about

Ukrainian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the modern territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Important Jewish religious and cultural move ...

affairs and has mentioned Davidzon in those writings . Currently, Davidzon is reporting from Ukraine on the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

on behalf of ''

'' and Foreign Policy Magazine. On the night before the Russian invasion began on February 24,2022 Davidzon had dinner in Kyiv with his friend the Latvian American investor

Dan Rapoport Dan Rapoport (; April 30, 1968 – August 14, 2022) was a Latvian-American investor, financial executive, and outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin. He died after a fall from his high-rise apartment building in Washington, D.C.; t ...

who would die several months in Washington D.C. under suspicious circumstances. Davidzon worked as a producer on actor Sean Penn`s Ukraine war documentary "Superpower" and traveled with Penn producing the film and interpreting during some of Penn`s meetings with Ukrainian officials.

Personal life

During his studies in Paris in his late twenties Davidzon met his future wife, the Franco-Ukrainian Film Producer Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon. He is a descendant of the Soviet Composer Isaac Dunaevsky. He teaches Eastern European politics and art history at the New School and

Parsons Paris Parsons Paris is a degree-granting school of art and design in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the European branch campus of Parsons School of Design and part of The New School, a comprehensive university in New York City. Academ ...

. Davidzon is a self-identified Judeo-Banderite. Davidzon and his wife separated in 2024.

Awards

* Davidzon is a recipient of the Washington DC base
Transatlantic Leadership Network
2022 "Freedom of the Media" award for the Best Next Generation Journalism Reporting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidzon, Vladislav 1985 births Living people People from Brighton Beach Writers from Odesa Writers from Tashkent Journalists from Brooklyn Writers from Moscow Russian emigrants to the United States Russian expatriates in Ukraine Jewish Russian writers 21st-century Russian journalists