Ukrainian wine photographer Arsen Fedosenko dies in the war

Wine producers and military colleagues paid tribute to Captain Arsen Fedosenko, who worked as a photographer for the Strategic Communications Department of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

He was injured in the Kharkiv region in June and died in hospital a day later, said Wines of Ukraine, which represents several producers in the country.

On 13 June, a memorial service was held in Kiev, as the Canadian CBC NewsA selection of his photographs is also on display.

Fedosenko joined the Ukrainian army as a correspondent in March 2022, shortly after the large-scale invasion of Russia began on February 24, using his photography skills to document life on the front lines.

However, he had already been working as a photographer for more than two decades. He built close contacts with the Ukrainian wine industry and received much praise for his work on the country’s winemakers and vineyards.

“I want the world to fall in love with Ukrainian wine through art photography,” said Fedosenko in his nominee profile at the Wine tour prices Website.

Wines of Ukraine, which is led by Svitlana Tsybak of Beykush Winery, described Fedosenko as a talented photographer, designer and artist as well as a passionate wine lover and aspiring winemaker.

“He took hundreds of wonderful photographs of the vineyards, wineries and winemakers and planned to publish a photo book about artisanal winemaking in Ukraine,” the group said.

“Arsen visited over 30 wineries across Ukraine and planted his own vineyard in 2019. His works have been exhibited in Ukraine and abroad.

“He also designed labels and logos for several wineries and organized wine tastings and wine lectures to promote Ukrainian wines. His creative influence on the development of Ukrainian viticulture cannot be overestimated.”

Fedosenko has a wife and two sons, the group said. ‘“The Wines of Ukraine team will cherish his memory together with Arsen’s family, friends and colleagues, as well as all Ukrainian winemakers.”

Fedosenko is the 82nd media worker killed since Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022, the Institute for Mass Information (IMI), a Ukrainian non-governmental organization. Ten of these people died “while carrying out editorial tasks,” it said.

IMI cited a telegram Post from the Department of Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, praising Fedosenko’s character and dedication.

The figures for military casualties in Ukraine and Russia are difficult to confirm. In February 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia’s large-scale invasion.

A report from May 2024 by the United Nations Human Rights Observation Mission in Ukraine stated that since February 24, 2022, there have been 32,989 civilian casualties, including 11,126 dead and 21,863 injured.

Arsen Fedosenko’s photography appears in Decanter youngest sponsored guide to the wines of Ukrainecreated in collaboration with Beykush Winery, Great wines, SHABO And Wines from the light.

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