MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - Rossiya Segodnya photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who died in Ukraine, will go down in world journalism and photography history, the information agency’s director general, Dmitry Kiselev, said Friday.
“He will go down in history of Russian and international photography, history of Russian and international journalism, history of Russian and international culture, culture in its most dignified sense – culture of spirit, courage and nobility,” Kiselev told journalists at Stenin’s farewell ceremony Friday.
“Today we are saying goodbye to our friend, colleague and hero Andrei Stenin. It turns out, even today there are photographs that could cost one one’s life. It is a paradox that such photographs are taken in Ukraine. Andrei had a talent for seeing beyond what others saw. He had a talent of conveying a ‘message’ in his photographs, was keen on going where he could see more than others did, so that everyone could see it too. But keenness alone is not enough. One also needs courage, stamina and strong spirit, and he had it all,” Kiselev said.
“We are proud to have had him as a colleague. A couple of days ago I was asked if I felt personally responsible for what happened. Yes, I do feel a great responsibility. But I also feel responsible for the agency showing events in Ukraine the way they are, and, unfortunately, today it is dangerous, and we all share this responsibility. We are a team, and Andrei will always be an essential part of it,” the director general added.
“Andrei will serve as an exemplary worker that we are proud of, and thus he will live on,” Kiselev said.
On Wednesday, the director general of Rossiya Segodnya announced that according to information from the Russian Investigative Committee, Stenin, who went missing in Ukraine in early August, died about a month ago near Donetsk when the car he was traveling in while on an editorial assignment was shot at and torched on a highway just outside the city.
Stenin could not be reached since August 5. Sources suggested that the Ukrainian military might have detained the journalist, but Kiev has never officially confirmed the allegations.
Events in support of the journalist were held around the world while his fate remained unknown, with several international organizations expressing their support for the photographer.
