On May 18, Ukraine honors the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatars. 80 years ago at 3:00am on May 18, 1944, the Soviet authorities began the evacuation of all Crimean Tatars from their native peninsula. At that time, about 200,000 people were forcibly taken out in goods wagons. Almost half died on the road or in the first years after deportation. The formal reason for the eviction was that the entire Crimean Tatars were recognized as “traitors to the homeland”: the Soviet authorities accused them of allegedly collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II.
On this day, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes a project about the life of Cyril the photographer Gennadiia Minchenkowho has been visiting Crimean Tatars since the mid-2000s. He managed to document the life and cultures of the Crimeans, who from the late 80s and early 90s began to return to the peninsula in an attempt to rebuild their lives.
Gennady Minchenko began filming the life of Crimean Tatars since 2004. Then he, together with photographer Alexander Gladielov, went to the peninsula as part of a project from the Polish Institute in Kyiv. After the expedition, he returned there several times, there he found new friends and left a part of his heart. He actively recorded the personal stories of the Cyrillians, who, despite all their efforts, preserved their traditions, culture and identity, as well as to build a house in the middle of the field and achieve the right to receive at least a piece of native land.
“This trip took place before the beginning of the Orange Revolution,” says Hennadiy. “Then I was very impressed by the acquaintance with the Crimean Tatars. Since I remember various fakes about them. Unfortunately, we were very strongly influenced by Russian propaganda and heard on TV channels various false information that the Crimean Tatars somewhere there seized land or staged clashes, etc. That is, we heard the news about them in a negative light. So we came there, and these people greeted us so hospitably and joyfully. I wanted to film more than anything, to get to know them and their culture more deeply!”
Gennady Minchenko admits that he was impressed by the culture of the indigenous people of Crimea. But he was also surprised that even 10 years before the annexation, Russian influence in Crimea was palpable. According to him, local authorities have always looked towards Moscow, and Ukraine has not done enough to counter it. This was also complained about by the Cyrillians, in whose house Gennady always stayed during his travels. He documented their personal stories and those of their acquaintances. For the most part, he photographed on film, in particular on black and white. Then he did a lot of photo shoots. For the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Deportation, the photographer separately highlights the story of the jeweler.
Ayder Asanov is the only Crimean Tatar master who acquired jewelry skills from his father. He directly experienced deportation in 1944 to Uzbekistan. That night, his family was able to retrieve only the memories of the lost home. However, little Aider miraculously managed to take out his violin, which saved his life more than once. He earned it on bread. When he returned to Crimea in 1990, he often went to look at his already alien home, where his childhood passed.
“Those people who survived deportation were already at a respectable age. Among them is the famous jeweler Ayder Asanov, whose house was taken away. He always showed me his home, unjustly taken from him. Of course, after returning to Crimea, nothing was returned to him. Although at that time the house of his childhood was in an abandoned state. The man bought himself a hut near the railway station and set up a workshop there,” says Gennady Minchenko about Aider.
The jeweler used modern materials, combining texture and color, as well as silver, melchior, copper, smalt, intertwining them into complex patterns. He tried to make each of his things unique. He taught this to his students. He became a real star of Crimean Tatar culture. The man died in Bakhchisarai in 2019 on the 92nd year, not waiting for the liberation of Crimea.
Photographer with personal pain perceived the annexation of Crimea in 2014. For him, these events were a shock, because not only his favorite places or warm memories remained in the occupation, but also many of his friends and acquaintances, for whom he sincerely worries. Gennady dreams of returning to Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai and Balaklava, where he spent a lot of time filming and relaxing.
“Tatars have always been very supportive of Ukrainians! They were on the Ukrainian side all the time. All Tatars knew their Crimean Tatar language, knew Ukrainian, knew Russian and taught English at school. In all the time I spent with them, I managed to love them very much and penetrate their culture. It was very difficult for me to survive the fact that the Russians annexed Crimea,” Gennadiy shares.
The world started talking about the genocide of the Crimean Tatars after the Russian occupation. Then the pictures of Gennady received a new breath and attention. He supported the Crimean Tatars by providing his photographs for exhibitions and various projects representing the ethnic code of the indigenous people of Crimea.
“Looking back, I realize that these photos take on meaning when there is some feedback. Unfortunately, this project was not needed for a long time,” says Hennadiy.
Gennadiy Minchenko— Ukrainian reportage photographer. He worked as a photojournalist in the newspapers “All-Ukrainian Information”, “Government Courier”, “Evening News”, “Ukraine and the World Today”, “Business Capital”, “Business”. Currently, he is a photocorrespondent for the agency “Ukrinform”. Participated in many collective exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad: Biennale “Kyiv Month of Photography” (2003, 2007), “Bakhchisaray-2004” in the gallery “RA”, photo project “Kyiv, 24 hours”, exhibitions dedicated to the Orange Revolution (Warsaw, Krakow). Personal exhibitions of the photographer were held in Kharkiv (2001) and Bratislava (2005). Winner of several awards: Grand Prix of FC “Ikar” for the series “Homeless Children” (2001), one of the winners of the photo contest Ukraine in Focus (2002).
Photographer's social networks: Facebook.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych and Gennady Minchenko
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
On May 18, Ukraine honors the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatars. 80 years ago at 3:00am on May 18, 1944, the Soviet authorities began the evacuation of all Crimean Tatars from their native peninsula. At that time, about 200,000 people were forcibly taken out in goods wagons. Almost half died on the road or in the first years after deportation. The formal reason for the eviction was that the entire Crimean Tatars were recognized as “traitors to the homeland”: the Soviet authorities accused them of allegedly collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II.
On this day, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes a project about the life of Cyril the photographer Gennadiia Minchenkowho has been visiting Crimean Tatars since the mid-2000s. He managed to document the life and cultures of the Crimeans, who from the late 80s and early 90s began to return to the peninsula in an attempt to rebuild their lives.
Gennady Minchenko began filming the life of Crimean Tatars since 2004. Then he, together with photographer Alexander Gladielov, went to the peninsula as part of a project from the Polish Institute in Kyiv. After the expedition, he returned there several times, there he found new friends and left a part of his heart. He actively recorded the personal stories of the Cyrillians, who, despite all their efforts, preserved their traditions, culture and identity, as well as to build a house in the middle of the field and achieve the right to receive at least a piece of native land.
“This trip took place before the beginning of the Orange Revolution,” says Hennadiy. “Then I was very impressed by the acquaintance with the Crimean Tatars. Since I remember various fakes about them. Unfortunately, we were very strongly influenced by Russian propaganda and heard on TV channels various false information that the Crimean Tatars somewhere there seized land or staged clashes, etc. That is, we heard the news about them in a negative light. So we came there, and these people greeted us so hospitably and joyfully. I wanted to film more than anything, to get to know them and their culture more deeply!”
Gennady Minchenko admits that he was impressed by the culture of the indigenous people of Crimea. But he was also surprised that even 10 years before the annexation, Russian influence in Crimea was palpable. According to him, local authorities have always looked towards Moscow, and Ukraine has not done enough to counter it. This was also complained about by the Cyrillians, in whose house Gennady always stayed during his travels. He documented their personal stories and those of their acquaintances. For the most part, he photographed on film, in particular on black and white. Then he did a lot of photo shoots. For the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Deportation, the photographer separately highlights the story of the jeweler.
Ayder Asanov is the only Crimean Tatar master who acquired jewelry skills from his father. He directly experienced deportation in 1944 to Uzbekistan. That night, his family was able to retrieve only the memories of the lost home. However, little Aider miraculously managed to take out his violin, which saved his life more than once. He earned it on bread. When he returned to Crimea in 1990, he often went to look at his already alien home, where his childhood passed.
“Those people who survived deportation were already at a respectable age. Among them is the famous jeweler Ayder Asanov, whose house was taken away. He always showed me his home, unjustly taken from him. Of course, after returning to Crimea, nothing was returned to him. Although at that time the house of his childhood was in an abandoned state. The man bought himself a hut near the railway station and set up a workshop there,” says Gennady Minchenko about Aider.
The jeweler used modern materials, combining texture and color, as well as silver, melchior, copper, smalt, intertwining them into complex patterns. He tried to make each of his things unique. He taught this to his students. He became a real star of Crimean Tatar culture. The man died in Bakhchisarai in 2019 on the 92nd year, not waiting for the liberation of Crimea.
Photographer with personal pain perceived the annexation of Crimea in 2014. For him, these events were a shock, because not only his favorite places or warm memories remained in the occupation, but also many of his friends and acquaintances, for whom he sincerely worries. Gennady dreams of returning to Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai and Balaklava, where he spent a lot of time filming and relaxing.
“Tatars have always been very supportive of Ukrainians! They were on the Ukrainian side all the time. All Tatars knew their Crimean Tatar language, knew Ukrainian, knew Russian and taught English at school. In all the time I spent with them, I managed to love them very much and penetrate their culture. It was very difficult for me to survive the fact that the Russians annexed Crimea,” Gennadiy shares.
The world started talking about the genocide of the Crimean Tatars after the Russian occupation. Then the pictures of Gennady received a new breath and attention. He supported the Crimean Tatars by providing his photographs for exhibitions and various projects representing the ethnic code of the indigenous people of Crimea.
“Looking back, I realize that these photos take on meaning when there is some feedback. Unfortunately, this project was not needed for a long time,” says Hennadiy.
Gennadiy Minchenko— Ukrainian reportage photographer. He worked as a photojournalist in the newspapers “All-Ukrainian Information”, “Government Courier”, “Evening News”, “Ukraine and the World Today”, “Business Capital”, “Business”. Currently, he is a photocorrespondent for the agency “Ukrinform”. Participated in many collective exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad: Biennale “Kyiv Month of Photography” (2003, 2007), “Bakhchisaray-2004” in the gallery “RA”, photo project “Kyiv, 24 hours”, exhibitions dedicated to the Orange Revolution (Warsaw, Krakow). Personal exhibitions of the photographer were held in Kharkiv (2001) and Bratislava (2005). Winner of several awards: Grand Prix of FC “Ikar” for the series “Homeless Children” (2001), one of the winners of the photo contest Ukraine in Focus (2002).
Photographer's social networks: Facebook.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych and Gennady Minchenko
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
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UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
