Who Is MFF?
Sergey Melnikoff — known as MFF — is a National Hero of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria for his personal contributions to the informational resistance against Russia.
He is a full cavalier of all grades of the Ukrainian Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great and the recipient of numerous international honors.
A descendant of an ancient Ukrainian Cossack lineage, Melnikoff was a Soviet dissident and political prisoner who daringly escaped the USSR with his wife and infant daughter. Today, he is a celebrated American artist and a pioneer of revolutionary photographic techniques.
In 2014, alongside the legendary academician Borys Paton, he founded The Soul of Ukraine, an international charitable foundation.
Melnikoff is the only photographer in history whose works have been accepted as personal gifts by world figures such as U.S. President George Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis I, King Birendra of Nepal, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, the 14th Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI, and many others.
His public artistic face is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Melnikoff has worked in 150 countries across all continents and is one of the top ten most influential figures in contemporary art. His cinematographic achievements include directing Hour of Adventures, Treasure Hunters, and There Is No Place in the World for Wild Animals.
He even persuaded Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to rename the second-highest peak in the Pamirs from “Korzhenevskaya” to Ozodi Peak (Freedom) in 2020.
He is also the author of The Genius, the world’s first AI-generated portrait of a living person — depicting academician Borys Paton.
Melnikoff’s accolades affirm his status as one of the most highly decorated and influential artists of our time.
Sergey Melnikoff and his daughter Anastassia visiting His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of the spiritual leader’s 75th birthday. Dharamsala, India, 2010
Sergey Melnikoff (MFF) during the filming of an underwater documentary on marine life in the Sea of Japan. Reyneke Island, Russia. 1977
Sergey Melnikoff at a formal reception with His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. Tbilisi, Georgia. 2008
Sergey Melnikoff welcomes distinguished guests to his solo exhibition Tajikistan – The Land of Mountain Peaks!, organized in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kyiv, Ukraine. 2019
From left to right: Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, founder of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine and Supreme Mufti of Ukraine; Archbishop Andriy of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva, Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate); exhibition author Sergey Melnikoff, also known as MFF; Faizullo Holboboev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to Ukraine; Patriarch Filaret, Hero of Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; and Gennadii Korolev, Executive Director of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation.
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TV coverage on the retrospective exhibition of Sergey Melnikoff, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Ukraine to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of Tajikistan, held at Equides Club in Kyiv. 2019
In 1989, on the seabed of the Chukchi Sea, Sergey Melnikoff discovered the legendary Soviet steamship Chelyuskin, which had been crushed by ice in 1934. Lying at a depth of 48 meters, the Chelyuskin was explored by Melnikoff using lightweight diving gear.
Sergey Melnikoff is the creator of The People of the Maidan, the world’s largest open-air photo exhibition dedicated to Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, unveiled in 2014. Kyiv, Ukraine.
In 1993, Sergey Melnikoff underwent spaceflight training for a mission to the Mir orbital station aboard a Russian spacecraft.
Sergey Melnikoff welcomes Pope Benedict XVI at his solo exhibition The World in Seven Days. Munich, Germany. 2010
Sergey Melnikoff is a polymath with three university degrees. A former board member of the Soviet Cultural Fund, he served a long-term imprisonment in the Soviet Union. Today, he is a member of the Council of Chechen Elders in Europe and has been affiliated with the National Geographic Society in the United States since 1990. Melnikoff has held solo exhibitions around the world and is recognized among the most influential figures in contemporary art.
Madonna, Paul McCartney, Richard Branson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Sigourney Weaver, J.K. Rowling, Mark Zuckerberg, Elton John, Denzel Washington, Sergey Brin, Clint Eastwood and other celebrities in a global project
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
EPIC SCALE CHARITY PHOTO SHOOTS FEATURING 100 WORLD CELEBRITIES AMIDST THE ASHES OF OUR CIVILIZATION
With the onset of Russia’s full-scale military aggression in 2022, Sergey Melnikoff launched his original project, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in Ukraine — inviting global celebrities to participate in special photo sessions set amid the ruins of cities in the land of his ancestors.
Photographed at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, 2014: Sergey Melnikoff with His Holiness Filaret, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Knight of the Order of
Qoman Turpal
National Hero of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
2012
Qoman Turpal
National Hero of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
2012
Order of
St. Great Martyr George
the Victorious
Ukraine
2024
Order of
Unity and Will to Victory
Ukraine
2023
The legendary and internationally acclaimed Ukrainian scientist Borys Paton served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Soul of Ukraine International Charitable Foundation—established by Sergey Melnikoff—from its inception in 2014 until his passing in 2019. Under his leadership, the Foundation strengthened its global reputation as a humanitarian force dedicated to cultural and moral values.
Sergey Melnikoff and Academician Borys Paton, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, discussing the registration of the Soul of Ukraine International Charitable Foundation. Kyiv, Ukraine. 2014
Order of
St. Michael the Archangel
Ukraine
2023
St. Michael the Archangel
Ukraine
2023
Order of
St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great, 1st Class
Ukraine
2022
Order of
St. George the Victorious
Ukraine
2022
In a rare tribute, the spiritual wisdom of the 14th Dalai Lama met the artistic vision of MFF—Sergey Melnikoff—in a moment of mutual respect.
The Dalai Lama holds Sergey Melnikoff’s artwork Mount Ama Dablam, a gift he received in 2007 from representatives of the European Union. To the left stands Junsei Terasawa, a Japanese Buddhist monk and leader of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order in Ukraine and Central Asia. Dharamsala, India
Medal
For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine
Ukraine
2021
For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine
Ukraine
2021
Order of
St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great, 2nd Class
Ukraine
2019
Order of
St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great, 3rd Class
Ukraine
2014
In 2008, under the leadership of Sergey Melnikoff, a high-altitude expedition triumphantly raised the State Flag of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria atop Mount Everest.
On April 12, 2024, a formal ceremony took place at the General Representation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Ukraine, where renowned American photographer and philanthropist Sergey Melnikoff was granted citizenship of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Photographer Sergey Melnikoff atop Mount Everest with his renowned camera. Tibet, 1998
Special Distinction of the
Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church
Georgia
2008
Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church
Georgia
2008
Jubilee Medal
In Memory of the 25th Anniversary
of the Reign of King Birendra Shah Dev
The Kingdom of Nepal
1997
Over more than half a century of continuous travel, Sergey Melnikoff has visited every continent—including Antarctica—and explored more than 150 countries.
A giant billboard promoting Sergey Melnikoff’s solo exhibition Earth, the Moonlit Beauty is installed on the façade of the Gapar Aitiev National Art Museum in central Bishkek, directly across from the Hyatt Regency. The image changed weekly throughout the show. 2008
Sergey Melnikoff is a pioneer in the use of Artificial Intelligence in photography. In 2019, he realized a revolutionary idea—using a supercomputer and AI to generate the world’s first photographic portrait of a living person. The AI-created portrait of academician Borys Paton, unveiled on his 100th birthday, was titled Genius and is now recognized as a symbol of 21st-century photographic art.
Sergey Melnikoff with His Holiness Filaret, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and members of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation, present the AI-generated artwork Genius at a formal reception honoring the 100th birthday of Borys Paton. Brovary City, Ukraine. 2019
From the very first days of Russia’s war against small Chechnya, American artist Sergey Melnikoff stood up in defense of the honor and dignity of the Nakh people. In 2012, for his moral courage, Melnikoff was awarded the highest state honor of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria — the Order of Qoman Turpal — and was named a National Hero of the Republic.
In 2024, the Chechen people granted him honorary citizenship, officially inscribing “Vainakh” as his nationality in his passport.
Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Akhmed Zakayev, and National Hero of Ichkeria, American artist Sergey Melnikoff, present the coat of arms of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria — created by Melnikoff from fragments of mines and ammunition, and solemnly presented to the Republic of Ichkeria on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
Kyiv, February 24, 2024.
