Leica Removes Russian Photographer From Oskar Barnack Awards

Valery Melnikov, left, has been removed from the Oscar Barnack Award that he was shortlisted in for his photos of Mariupol, Ukraine, right.

Leica has removed one of the 12 shortlisted finalists for the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), one of the most prestigious photography prizes in the world, PetaPixel can exclusively reveal.

Russian photographer Valery Melnikov was shortlisted for the 46th LOBA for his work titled Mariupol: Open Wounds, which focuses on how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine devastated the city of Mariupol and its people.

LOBA’s description says that Melnikov’s “ongoing documentary project focuses on residents who have remained in the city and suffer the unbearable humanitarian consequences of the war.”

But critics say that Melnikov’s work fails to acknowledge Russia’s responsibility for the destruction of Mariupol, nor does it mention that Russia continues to occupy the city.

Ukrainian photographer Serhii Korovainyi, who covers the war, condemned LOBA’s decision to include Melnikov on its shortlist.

In a Facebook post on July 9, Korovainyi says Mariupol: Open Wounds was included “without providing any context regarding who killed tens of thousands of civilians in the city, who destroyed it, or who inflicted those wounds.”

Local resident Daniel (18) was wounded in the arm during a shell explosion near his house, Mariupol, Ukraine 2022. From the series “Mariupol – Open Wounds” © Valery Melnikov

The Kyiv Independent called Melnikov a “Kremlin media-linked photographer” in an article posted on July 11. The English-language Ukrainian news website wrote that Melnikov has extensive connections to Russian state media, including working for Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), a media group owned and operated by the Russian government, since 2009.

“Melnikov’s work with Russian state media — which openly pushes narratives justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine — raises serious concerns about the extent of his international recognition, especially when respected Western institutions are the ones helping to elevate these narratives,” Ukrainian photo critic Dmytro Kyyan told The Kyiv Independent.

‘Inconvenient Photographs’

Melnikov took to Instagram yesterday to register his displeasure at being removed from LOBA. The Russian photographer says that he was contacted by Leica, which objected to his links to RIA Novosti, a news agency operated by Rossiya Segodnya.

“Apparently, the Leica team became concerned about the possible consequences and cited the fact that some of the photographs in the project had been taken while I was working for RIA Novosti,” Melnikov writes.

“It is important to note that this has always been public information, and it did not prevent the jury from initially selecting my series.”

Melnikov says he has been “documenting the situation in Mariupol and the surrounding region since 2022,” calling it a long-term personal project.

“I do not do this in the interests of corporations or states, but for ordinary people and for history,” he says. “And yet a major corporation, frightened by reputational or other risks, has simply chosen to restrict people’s access to information.”