HONORING EXCELLENCE
A HALF-CENTURY IN THE ARTS
THE MOST TITLED PHOTOGRAPHER OF OUR TIME
THE ARTWORK OF SERGEY MELNIKOFF, A.K.A. MFF, IS BEING PROMOTED BY THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE, HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA
In the photo: The Dalai Lama displays Sergey Melnikoff’s artwork “Mount Ama Dablam,” which he received as a gift from representatives of the European Union in 2007. Standing to the left is Junsei Terasawa, a Japanese Buddhist monk and the leader of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order in Ukraine and Central Asia.
"At this time, the country's authorities proved to be incompetent in determining where and how he crossed the USSR state border with his wife and one-year-old daughter..."
QOMAN TURPAL
HERO OF THE NATION OF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC OF ICHKERIA
2012
In Copenhagen on March 7, 2012, Sergey Melnikoff, a.k.a. MFF, an American descendant of an ancient Cossack lineage, was officially awarded the highest order of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the “Qoman Turpal” — Hero of the Nation.
The award ceremony was attended by: from the United Kingdom — member of the House of Lords, Lord Frank Ashcroft Judd; from the European Union — member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania, Vytautas Landsbergis; from Poland — member of the Polish Parliament, Senator Zbigniew Romaszewski; from the Baltic countries — member of the Lithuanian Parliament, Senator Rytas Kupcinskas.
Sergey Melnikoff was presented with the highest award of Ichkeria by Akhmed Zakayev, Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Ichkeria.
From the interview, 2008: “We are not just dealing with political opportunists. We are dealing with a criminal state. A state that has been criminal throughout modern history!.. The Russian-speaking population has been reduced to a subhuman condition. I think that moral degenerates in Russia make up at least 60 — 70 percent. If a farmer’s livestock consisted of half rabid animals, what would he do with such a herd? Russia needs to be divided into many small states, and most of them should be placed under external administration.”
KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
2023
The Order of Saint Archangel Michael was awarded to Sergey Melnikoff by His Holiness Filaret, the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for creating a sculpture of the Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine from the remnants of mines and artillery shells, symbolizing the unparalleled resilience of Ukrainians against the Russian military invasion.
The sculpture of the Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine, created by the artist, was consecrated at a special ceremony in St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv.
"According to the official opinion of the FSB, the mastermind behind the attempted uprising in Moscow in 2010 is the Caucasus Emirate and the ideologue of the military coup, the 'absolute enemy of Russia,' American Sergey Melnikoff, who was utilized by Americans on the side of Afghan mujahideen fighting against Soviet forces. In Afghanistan, he directed the mujahideen to Soviet Army arsenals and smuggled explosives into international contingent barracks, sending 'compatriots' to Allah as guests."
COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR YURI THE VICTORIOUS
2024
Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has awarded Sergey Melnikoff the Order of St. Great Martyr Yuri the Victorious for his many years of volunteer work benefiting the Ukrainian people. The motto of the Order is “For Fighting against Evil.”
Sergey Melnikoff achieved the impossible—at his suggestion, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon renamed the second highest peak in the Pamir Mountains. In 2020, the mountain known as "Korzhenevskaya Peak" (7105 m) was renamed "Ozodi Peak"—Freedom!
In the photo: Sergey Melnikoff welcomes guests of honor to his personal exhibition, “Tajikistan – The Land of Mountain Peaks!” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan dedicated this exhibition to the 25th anniversary of the country’s Constitution.
From left to right: The founder of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, Supreme Mufti of Ukraine Sheikh Ahmed Tamim; Archbishop of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Andriy; Exhibition author Sergey Melnikoff, a.k.a. MFF; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to Ukraine Faizullo Holboboev; Hero of Ukraine Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Filaret; Executive Director of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation Gennadii Korolev.
Kyiv, Equides Club, 2019
From personal correspondence: “Never bend under circumstances! Never betray the childhood dream! Never cast pearls before swine! Call the Russian world as it has always been, is, and will be — bloody, stinky, wooden latrine. A world of moral degenerates. A planet of marbles.”
FULL CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY EQUAL-TO-THE-APOSTLES PRINCE VOLODYMYR THE GREAT
I class 2022
II class 2019
III class 2014
In the photo: His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Spiritual Patron of the International Charitable Foundation ‘Soul of Ukraine,’ alongside Sergey Melnikoff, the American artist and founder of the foundation. Melnikoff is also the creator of the largest open-air photographic exhibition about the new Ukraine, titled ‘People of Maidan,’ which he developed in 2014
"There are whole countries in the world that would gladly not allow him onto their territory if they weren't afraid of media backlash and desperately in need of the arrival of international PR specialists of his caliber. But the main label attached to this remarkable individual outweighs all the above with dreadful conciseness — 'Enemy of Russia.' This is how the media of the neighboring state officially refers to Sergey Melnikoff, automatically categorizing him among the strong of this world."
CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER OF SAINT GEORGE THE VICTORIOUS
2022
Sergey Melnikoff, also known as MFF, is an encyclopedist with three university degrees. He was a former board member of the Soviet Cultural Fund and served a long-term imprisonment in the Soviet Union. In the late 1980s, he fled the USSR illegally with his wife and one-year-old daughter. He is currently a member of the Council of Chechen Elders in Europe and has been a member of the National Geographic Society in the United States since 1990. Melnikoff is the author of provocative exhibitions in many countries around the world and is listed among the top 100 most influential people in art according to several art publications. He is a participant in NASA’s Mars research program and the author of the space tourism concept. In 1994, he underwent training for a space flight to the ‘Mir’ orbital station aboard the ‘Soyuz-27’ spacecraft. Melnikoff has spent half a century in filming expeditions, documenting nature in most countries of the world. He is considered one of the strongest cinematographers in extreme natural conditions. In 1989, he discovered the legendary Soviet steamship ‘Chelyuskin,’ which sank in 1934 in the Chukchi Sea, diving to a depth of 50 meters in light diving gear.
From personal correspondence: “Once the war in Ukraine concludes, the mere mention of ‘Russian’ will carry the weight of a curse. There will be no greater insult than to label someone as ‘ Russian.’ Neither Judas nor Herod, nothing since biblical times, can compare in terms of wickedness, worthlessness, vulgarity, and repulsive abomination to those branded with this epithet – ‘ Russian’.”
Sergey Melnikoff is the only photographer in the history of art whose personal works have been accepted as gifts by many of the most significant historical figures of our time. Among them are U.S. President George Bush, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Pope Francis I, King Birendra Shah Dev of Nepal, the spiritual leader of Buddhists, the 14th Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and other global celebrities.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk presents Sergey Melnikoff’s artwork to Pope Francis I on behalf of the Ukrainian people. Vatican, 2014
CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER UNITY AND WILL TO VICTORY
2023
The Order of People’s Honor “Unity and Will to Victory” is a nationwide award with a special status established to promote the development of a European-oriented civil society in Ukraine. Recipients of the “Unity and Will to Victory” order are honored for their courage, patriotism, social activism, and high professionalism for the benefit of Ukraine.
In the photo: Sergey Melnikoff with Pope Benedict XVI and U.S. Senator John McCain.
President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation, Academician Borys Paton, and the founder of this foundation, Sergey Melnikoff, a.k.a. MFF, during a meeting at the E. Paton Institute in Kyiv on July 1, 2014
"Sergey Melnikoff is one of the most renowned photographers on the planet. According to international ratings, he is among the shortlist of super-professionals working in extreme natural conditions—mountains, underwater, jungles, and caves. He has worked in 150 countries across all continents. He is the creator and director-cinematographer of television series such as "Hour of Adventures," "Treasure Hunters," and "There is No Place in the World for Wild Animals." He was the author of the program "Space Tourist." A former board member of the Soviet Cultural Foundation. He served a lengthy imprisonment for calling for a trial of the Communist Party. He was sought by the North Korean regime for unauthorized filming inside the concentration camps of that country. In the late 1980s, he fled the USSR with his family. Granted refugee status by the UN, he was accepted by the United States under the personal verdict of President Ronald Reagan."
CHEVALIER OF THE SILVER JUBILEE MEDAL OF HIS MAJESTY KING BIRENDRA BIR BIKRAM SHAH DEV OF NEPAL
1997
In the photo: Installation of a giant billboard for Sergey Melnikoff’s solo exhibition “Earth, the Moonlit Beauty” on the building of the Gapar Aitiev National Art Museum in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The cost of producing such a large billboard, including installation, exceeded $5,000, but this did not deter advertisers, and the main exhibition billboard, displayed opposite the Hyatt Regency hotel in the city center, changed weekly. Bishkek, 2008
Sergey Melnikoff with his famous camera at the summit of Everest, 1998
With his daughter Anastassia at the celebration of the 75th birthday of the Dalai Lama in His Holiness’s residence. Dharamsala, India, 2010
From personal correspondence regarding the sale of the commissioned photograph “Land of the Kyrgyz” for $300,000: “Decades ago, I established the main rule in trading photographs — the artistic value of a shot has nothing to do with the price it can be sold for. The era of masterpieces has long gone. Genius in art no longer translates into big money. A well-known name may fetch at most five times more than a skilled craftsman. And even more so, no one pays serious money for pressing a button at the right time, in the right place. Earnings through stock photo agencies are a scam for beginners. But since there are far more fools than wise people, stock agencies provide their owners with a steady income.”
An American photographer with Cossack roots has conceived an extraordinary mission — to conduct a unique photoshoot in Ukraine titled "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," inviting the participation of 100 of the world's most famous personalities, from Madonna to Paul McCartney. The photoshoot will serve as a key component of a global charitable project benefiting Ukrainian children who have lost limbs.
Photograph “Ukrainian Madonna” by MFF. Kharkiv, 2024
For participation in a project to help children who became disabled due to Russian bombings, I have the honor of inviting one hundred of the most renowned figures to charity photo sessions that will take place among the ruins of Ukrainian villages and cities: Madonna, Paul McCartney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Branson, Sylvester Stallone, Sigourney Weaver, J.K. Rowling, Mark Zuckerberg, Elton John, Denzel Washington, Sergey Brin, Clint Eastwood, and other global stars.
— Sergey Melnikoff, a.k.a. MFF
CHEVALIER OF THE MEDAL FOR SACRIFICE AND LOVE FOR UKRAINE
2021
In the photo: Sergey Melnikoff capturing Ukrainian Crimea in 2013
The most expensive photo session in the history of photography. During the shooting of the photo panorama “The Soul of Ukraine.” This session involved 800 costumed performers from Ukraine’s largest musical ensembles. Kyiv, 2013
Members of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation, presented the world’s first photographic portrait of a person created by Artificial Intelligence at a gala evening celebrating the 100th birthday of the foundation’s chairman, academician Borys Paton. This portrait, depicting Borys Paton, was named “Genius.” Brovary, 2019
"On April 12, 2024, a ceremonial event was held at the General Representation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Ukraine. Prominent American photographer and philanthropist Sergey Melnikoff was granted citizenship of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The event was attended by media representatives, members of the public, military volunteers, and servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
In over half a century of continuous non-stop travels, Sergey Melnikoff has visited every continent on Earth, including Antarctica, and has been to more than 150 countries.
In the photo: During the filming of an underwater documentary about the inhabitants of the Sea of Japan. Reyneke Island, 1977
RECIPIENT OF THE SPECIAL INSIGNIA OF THE GEORGIAN APOSTOLIC AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CHURCH
2008
In the photo: Sergey Melnikoff at a reception with His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.
During the filming in the regions of the Greater Caucasus Range. Georgia, 2009
From personal correspondence: “My heart warms at the realization of how desperately the assorted scum fears my words, those who in life are only capable of stealing. In various countries, these maggots regularly ‘bury’ me, posting crude obituaries in Russian media once every five or ten years… I didn’t perish in Afghanistan when I fought alongside the mujahideen; survived in an execution prison with two death sentences; spent long years behind barbed wire in Soviet camps; outwitted the KGB in a deadly ‘poker’ game; remained unscathed while tracking down mafiosi in Asia; lived with my young children for several months among pirates on the Sulu Islands; didn’t succumb to Covid, despite 70% lung damage; took the first Russian cruise missiles missing my cottage near Kiev on the morning of February 24, 2022, as a given… In general, it’s not so easy to ferry me across the River Styx. My fate, with such reckless propositions, vehemently disagrees…”
✦ Honorary Citizen of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria — 2024
✦ Recognition from the Holy See with the blessing of Pope Francis I — 2014
✦ Recognitions from the 14th Dalai Lama — 2007, 2010
✦ Recognition from the Holy See with the blessing of Pope Benedict XVI — 2010
✦ Recognition from President George Bush — 2002
"Melnikoff is only American by passport. By vocation, he is a citizen of the world, who has worked extensively in exotic countries such as Nepal, India, Malaysia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, China, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Thailand... Few in our age live such an adventurous life. The Himalayas and Tibet, the Cordilleras and the Andes, the Tien Shan and the Pamirs, the Alps and the mountains of Antarctica — there is no mountainous country on Earth where the famous photographer has not been."