Georgian Journalists Criticize World Press Photo for Awarding Russian State Propagandist

Georgian photojournalists have condemned on March 30, the World Press Photo (WPP) organization for awarding Russian state photographer Mikhail Tereshchenko (TASS), claiming the decision legitimizes propaganda.

Tereshchenko, who works for the Russian state agency TASS, was named a 2025 winner on March 27 for his coverage of anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi, prompting criticism from Georgian journalists and international media experts.

A joint statement from Georgian photographers accused WPP of endorsing disinformation by recognizing an employee of TASS, which they described as a “propaganda agency.” The statement asserted that “TASS is a state-owned Russian news agency with a long history of disinformation, dating back to the Soviet era. During the 2008 Russia-Georgia war—and in the years that followed—TASS played a central role in spreading false narratives, portraying Georgia as the aggressor.”

The photographers expressed particular concern over the subject matter of Tereshchenko’s winning entry — protests in Georgia directly opposing Russian influence. “Awarding a photographer aligned with the Kremlin’s narrative for covering anti-Russian demonstrations is not only deeply contradictory but also a direct insult to those risking their lives to oppose Russian interference in Georgia’s sovereignty and future.” the statement said.

The group further noted Tereshchenko’s past support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, referencing public comments in which he referred to the invasion as a “liberation.” They also linked TASS’s current activities to its past coverage of the 2008 Russia–Georgia war, accusing the agency of distorting the truth in both conflicts.

The controversy follows an earlier statement by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which denounced WPP’s decision to present a “visual pair” of images—one showing a traumatized Ukrainian child and the other a wounded Russian soldier—as “deplorable.” The jury had called the pairing an effort to show both “physical and psychological” dimensions of the war.

This year’s Europe regional winners also included German photographers Florian Bachmeier and Nanna Heitmann. Bachmeier’s image depicts a six-year-old Ukrainian girl suffering from panic attacks, while Heitmann’s photo shows a wounded fighter in a makeshift hospital near Bakhmut. The jury described the images as offering a “deeper and more detailed vision of a conflict with far-reaching global consequences.”

Tereshchenko, a war photographer with TASS since 2017 and a member of the Kremlin press pool, received the award for his images of the 2024 Georgian protests. The decision drew further criticism from the Association of Professional Photographers and other media experts, who questioned the jury’s ethical standards and the implications for press credibility.

The World Press Photo commented in response to the growing controversy, “We are taking complaints about the journalistic professionalism and independence of Mikhail Tereshchenko seriously, and will review them following the process outlined in our procedures. Until this review is complete, we stand by the jury’s decision to award his project, Protests in Georgia, and encourage everyone to view this work for themselves.”

Meanwhile, former Putin advisor Vladislav Surkov said the ideology of the “Russian world” has no borders and that Russia will keep expanding its influence.