On 5 August 2014, Andrey Alexeyevich Stenin, a Russian photojournalist, disappeared while covering the
war in Ukraine
The following is a list of major conflicts fought by Ukraine, by Ukrainian people or by regular armies during periods when independent states existed on the modern territory of Ukraine, from the Kyivan Rus' times to the present day. It also i ...
. He was confirmed dead on 3 September 2014, having died on 6 August according to the
Investigative Committee of Russia
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Следственный комитет Российской Федерации) has since January 2011 been the main federal investigating authority in Russia. Its name (' ...
.
Background
Andrey Stenin (russian: Андрей Алексеевич Стенин, also transliterated , 22 December 1980
– 6 August 2014
) started his career as a writing journalist, working for
Rossiyskaya Gazeta
' (russian: Российская газета, lit. Russian Gazette) is a Russian newspaper published by the Government of Russia. The daily newspaper serves as the official government gazette of the Government of the Russian Federation, publishi ...
from 2003 and
Gazeta.ru. In 2008 he turned to photojournalism. Since 2009 he worked as photo reporter for
RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asse ...
. He was an experienced military photojournalist who had worked in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
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 Egypt–Libya bo ...
, the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
and other locations. He had won the "Silver Camera" prize in 2010 and 2013.
Stenin was quoted after his death as having said, "Journalists are the eyes of the citizens and the world."
Disappearance and death
Stenin was allegedly embedded with Russian-backed combatants in Ukraine. Critics have labelled his activity a part of the fabrication of war propaganda. After Stenin's disappearance, Anton Gerashchenko, an official with
Ukraine's Interior Ministry suggested in an interview with the Latvian radio station Baltkom that the photojournalist might have been detained in the conflict area by Ukraine's security services.
He went missing since 5 August 2014. The
International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries.
The IFJ is an associate ...
(IFJ), the
European Federation of Journalists
The European Federation of Journalists is the European regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists. It is the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, representing about 320,000 journalists in 71 journalists’ orga ...
(EFJ),
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
and
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
expressed their concern for Stenin's safety. Reports in August indicated that Stenin's remains were found along with the bodies of two others.
On 3 September Stenin was confirmed dead.
[ Russia's Investigative Committee said ]DNA tests
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
had confirmed Stenin's identity. According to the media he was in a vehicle traveling in a convoy of escaping civilians when the convoy came under heavy fire in an area controlled by the Ukrainian military
, imports =
, exports =
, history =
, ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine
, country=Ukraine
The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
and National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
.[ Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, staff members of the VGTRK radio and television network, were killed in June near Luhansk. At the end of June, ]Anatoly Klyan
On 30 June 2014, Anatoly Klyan, a Russian Channel One cameraman, was shot and fatally injured while traveling in a bus in Donetsk, Ukraine during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest.
Background
The pro-Russian separatists of the War in Donbass were t ...
, a cameraman of the First TV Channel, received a mortal wound near Donetsk.
Aftermath
The UN issued a statement deploring his death, calling for its investigation and bringing those responsible to justice.
Stenin was awarded Russia's Order of Courage The Order of Courage may refer to:
* , a state decoration of the partially recognized republic of Abkhazia
* Order of Courage (Iran), a state decoration of Iran
* Order of Courage (Russia)
The Order of Courage (russian: Орден Мужес ...
posthumously.
See also
* Material Evidence (exhibition)
References
External links
Ukraine must clarify status of Russian journalist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenin, Andrey
1980 births
2014 deaths
Russian photojournalists
War photographers
People from Pechora
Journalists killed while covering the war in Donbas
Pro-Russian people of the war in Donbas
Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery