In an embarrassing case of blatant and undeniable discrimination, the winner of the 2025 photo contest held by the World Press Photo Foundation, Mikhail Tereshchenko, was disinvited from attending next month’s awards ceremony in Amsterdam, solely because he is from Russia. He has been a TASS staff photographer since 2017.
The submissions were all judged anonymously, and the judging panel “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,” noted RT. “The reversal was announced after Georgian anti-government activists complained that a Russian journalist had been praised for covering protests in Tbilisi.”
Russia was quick to respond to this disgraceful action. “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.’”
