Latest news with #Tereshchenko
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.
The Guardian
13-03-2025
- The Guardian
Ukrainian soldier praised for saving life of stabbing victim in Venice
A Ukrainian soldier who insists on always carrying a first-aid kit – even while on holiday – has been praised for saving the life of a stabbing victim during a trip in Venice, Italy. Yanis Tereshchenko, a 32-year-old teacher who enlisted in the Ukrainian army's third assault brigade immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, was on his way to his hotel with his wife and his five-year-old son in the Rialto district when he witnessed an altercation between two young men. Suddenly, one of them drew out a large knife and stabbed the other in the arm and leg. 'Fortunately, I had my emergency kit with me – the one I've carried since the war began – even though my wife always tells me to leave it at home,' Tereshchenko told Corriere del Veneto. 'I saw a deep wound on his thigh and pulled out a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. He lost consciousness and was hemorrhaging. I tried to bring him back to life.' Doctors later said that Tereshchenko's intervention was providential. The victim was losing blood rapidly, and without the soldier's prompt action, he might have died. Tereshchenko did his best to keep him conscious until the ambulance arrived. 'I don't know if he would have survived,' he said. 'People were confused, and no one knew what to do. Sadly, I have seen so much during the war that I had no doubt about the need to intervene.' In a post on X, Tereshchenko wrote: '20 minutes in Venice. The boy was lucky that I was near the first aid kit and tourniquets; by the time the ambulance arrived, he would have f**king bled to death.' Venice's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, met Tereshchenko and his family personally to thank him and present him with a plaque. 'Yanis's gesture is an example to us all,' the mayor said. 'He has my personal thanks and that of the entire city of Venice for this extraordinary act of humanity, courage, and selflessness. To Yanis, to the Ukrainian people, and to our friends in Odessa, we renew our solidarity in pursuit of a lasting peace that will secure their defence.' The identities of the victim and the assailant, as well as the motivation behind the attack, remain unclear. 'The war has taught us to take care of people,' Tereshchenko said. 'We will undoubtedly return to Italy, but now it is time to go back to my country to defend my land.'
Telegraph
11-03-2025
- Telegraph
Holidaying Ukrainian soldier saves man stabbed in Venice
A Ukrainian soldier on holiday in Venice saved the life of a man who had been stabbed in a brawl in the alleyways of the historic city centre. It is likely that Yanis Tereshchenko's prompt intervention saved the young man, who had been wounded in the leg and was losing a large quantity of blood. The man, reportedly Tunisian, had allegedly got into a fight with another Tunisian. The motives for the confrontation are unclear. He sustained a stab wound to the thigh, which reportedly severed his femoral artery. Mr Tereshchenko was returning to his hotel on Monday when he saw the victim lying on the ground and bleeding profusely, surrounded by panicked passers-by. He was able to use the first aid kit he has carried since joining the Ukrainian army three years ago. 'Lucky for the boy that I had the first aid kit… The blood would have leaked out by the time the ambulance arrived,' he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He posted two photos: one showing a large quantity of blood on the flagstones of an alleyway and the other showing Italian paramedics attending to the victim. 'I saw he had a deep stab wound to the thigh. I took out a tourniquet to stop the loss of any more blood,' the 32-year-old told Corriere del Veneto, a local newspaper. 'I know [the first aid kit] a bit cumbersome, and my family are always telling me to leave it behind. But today, for the first time in three years, it was needed. It was lucky that I had it with me at that moment.' The victim had lost a lot of blood and was losing consciousness, Mr Tereshchenko said. 'I tried to keep him awake until the medics arrived. I don't know if he would have made it otherwise,' he added. 'The people standing around were in shock – no one intervened or knew what to do. Unfortunately in these last few years of war I have seen a lot, so I didn't hesitate to intervene.' Mr Tereshchenko said he had been a teacher before joining the Third Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian military. 'I had a few days of leave and, seeing as how we love Italy, whenever we can, we come here, this time to Venice.' A shopkeeper who witnessed the knife attack said: 'The attacker was striking with ferocity, first the victim's arms and then the leg. It was a violent and continuous attack involving a really big knife.' Police are searching for the knifeman, who fled before medics arrived. The attack happened in the Salizada San Canzian alleyway, not far from the famous Rialto Bridge which spans the Grand Canal. Mr Tereshchenko continued his holiday, and on Tuesday posted photos of Venice's canals and churches. Although Ukrainian men are restricted from leaving the country, soldiers are allowed to go abroad for holidays as long as they obtain permission from their commanders. Military personnel are entitled to 15 days of foreign holiday each year, according to the Kyiv Post.
