Photojournalist Risks Prison for WWII Negatives

Photojournalist Arthur Bondar has curated an extensive collection of about 35,000 World War II negatives, collected since 2016. He prioritizes negatives, believing they represent photographic truths less susceptible to manipulation than prints, which were sometimes altered by Soviet authorities. Bondar successfully smuggled his archive out of Moscow in 2023, relocating to Germany with his wife, Oksana. This action carried significant personal risk, including potential confiscation, fines, or imprisonment, particularly as some images might be deemed to dishonor "defenders of the fatherland" by depicting the war's grim realities.

Bondar's archive aims to challenge the prevalent, often celebratory, narrative of World War II promoted by Moscow, which he sees as a tool to justify its actions in Ukraine. He is committed to showcasing the war's "stupidity and uselessness" through exhibitions, publications, and a dedicated website. His collection includes significant works from photographers like Valery Faminsky and Olga Ignatovich, whose unvarnished portrayals of wartime life and suffering were often overlooked.

Faminsky, initially exempt due to poor eyesight, eventually documented the Red Army's first aid and photographed both soldiers and civilians in highly humanistic scenes. Ignatovich, one of few female military photographers, captured profound moments, including the liberation of Auschwitz. Bondar worked to preserve their legacies, even locating Ignatovich's grave after months of searching. He continues to receive requests from individuals who recognize themselves or their relatives in his vast collection, while acknowledging the immense task of processing his existing archive, estimating it could take decades of work.