Details
THE NATIONAL EMBLEM OF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC OF ICHKERIA
Sergey Melnikoff, a National Hero of Ichkeria, and Ukrainian welding master Viktor Bielchyk created a sculpture of the State Emblem from war relics—an official gift to Ichkeria’s leadership.
Dimensions: 80 x 80 cm | 31½ x 31½ in
Gross Weight: ~50 kg
Provenance
The Author: Sergey Melnikoff (MFF) in collaboration with Ukrainian welder Victor Bielchyk.
This work of art was created in Odesa, Ukraine, in 2023—2024, during a critical phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Further Details
- This sculpture, representing the national emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, was created from fragments of artillery shells and 5,000 small arms casings.
- This unique artwork is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the birth of Dzhokhar Dudayev (Dudin Musa-khant Dzhokhar, 1944 — 2024), the first President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Forged in Fire
The State Emblem of Free Ichkeria as a Contemporary Masterpiece of Political Art
By Akhmed Maskhadov
Photos by Mariia Universaliuk
In the sphere of contemporary art, few creations manage to merge personal sacrifice, national tragedy, and transcendent symbolism with such haunting power as the sculptural State Emblem of Free Ichkeria by Sergey Melnikoff. This is not merely an emblem — it is a reliquary, a war memorial, and a cry of defiance forged from the literal wreckage of Russian imperialism.
Completed on February 24, 2024 — a day seared into global memory as the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — this 60-kilogram sculpture is more than an artwork. It is a solemn testament to the shared agony of two nations: the Chechen people, whose capital Grozny was reduced to ruins thirty years earlier, and the Ukrainian people, whose cities now echo with similar destruction. The date of its completion is no coincidence. It binds past and present acts of Russian aggression, placing Ichkeria’s long-silenced voice back into the historical conversation.
Melnikoff’s materials are not metaphorical. The emblem is composed of over five thousand fragments of exploded artillery shells, landmines, and ordnance collected from battlefields in Ukraine — the very iron that maimed and killed. It is sculpted grief, soldered memory. The physical weight of the object mirrors its symbolic gravity: this coat of arms is not designed to hang on a wall; it is designed to confront, to endure, to accuse.
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.
The work finds its soul in its origins. Sergey Melnikoff — an American of Ukrainian descent, a veteran photojournalist and dissident long demonized by Russian media — stands alone in Western art history as a consistent, unflinching supporter of Chechen independence. This commitment is not new; it was forged in the fires of the First Chechen War, where he risked reputation and life to speak a forbidden truth. His legacy has been recognized not merely in rhetoric but in state honor: he is the recipient of the Qoman Turpal — Ichkeria’s highest award — and the only Western artist to ever raise the Chechen flag on the summit of Mount Everest.
The sculpture thus serves as a culmination of Melnikoff’s decades-long moral and artistic journey — from “Enemy of Russia” to National Hero of Ichkeria. That he has now been offered citizenship by the government-in-exile of Free Ichkeria is no political gesture; it is historical restitution.
This emblem was not handed over quietly in a studio or tucked into a ceremonial folder. It was presented on stage by none other than Viktor Yushchenko, the third President of Ukraine, on behalf of the Ukrainian people. And yet the most piercing moment came not from statesmen, but from children — Ukrainian children who had survived missile attacks, who bore in their bodies the same metal from which this sculpture was forged. Accompanied by their doctors, these children did not simply bear witness. They completed the emblem’s story. They were living proof that this sculpture is not about the past — it is about the present, and what must never be allowed to become the future.
A symbolic moment: the presentation of the contemporary artwork “Coat of Arms of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria,” forged from fragments of mines and munitions, to Prime Minister Akhmed Zakayev as a gift from the Ukrainian people.
Kyiv, February 24, 2024
The State Emblem of Free Ichkeria, as sculpted by Sergey Melnikoff and welded by Ukrainian master Viktor Belchik, is thus not just a tribute to a lost homeland — it is a demand for recognition. It asserts that nations destroyed by tyranny still exist in the iron of memory and in the solidarity of other wounded peoples.
Ultimately, Melnikoff’s emblem achieves what few works of art ever dare attempt: it unites peoples across borders, victims across generations, and symbols across disciplines. It is both a coat of arms and a shield; both a gift and an indictment. It is the roar of a silenced nation, made from the shrapnel that once tried to silence another.
In this singular act of creation, Melnikoff has done what centuries of military conquest have failed to do — he has made Ichkeria eternal.
Sergey Melnikoff receives the Order of Unity and Will to Victory in recognition of his work and artistic talent. From left to right: artist Sergey Melnikoff, academician Mykola Saliuta, third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Mykola Podolyak (advisor to President Zelensky), and Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Akhmed Zakayev.
Kyiv, February 24, 2024
Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Akhmed Zakayev.
A Masterpiece of the Century for the Chechen People
THE ENEMY OF RUSSIA SERGEY MELNIKOFF CREATED A HISTORICAL WORK OF ART FOR THE CHECHEN PEOPLE
This sculpture, representing the national emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Sergey Melnikoff, together with Ukraine’s third President, Viktor Yushchenko, presented this unique artwork to Prime Minister Akhmed Zakayev as a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s deep gratitude for Chechnya’s support in the fight against Russian aggression.
The national emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is a one-of-a-kind original, accompanied by a laser-engraved certificate of authenticity on a polished stainless steel plaque, gracefully mounted on a hard wood base—making it a meaningful and enduring keepsake.
Brought to you by
A Photo Gallery
A behind-the-scenes perspective by Mariia Universaliuk on the creation of the national emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Ukraine became the first state to officially recognize Ichkeria as an independent country temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.
Photo report by Mariia Universaliuk from the International Conference of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, held in Kyiv on February 28, 2024.
The event honored three black dates in human history: the 80th anniversary of the Soviet regime’s deportation of the Chechen and Ingush peoples, the 30th anniversary of Russia’s war against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, and the 10th anniversary of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Related Videos
An inside look at how the national emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was brought to life.
A powerful video interview with Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, addressing the most pressing and painful topics: freedom vs. oppression, national identity, historical wounds, and the enduring memory of past injustices. Premiered March 22, 2025 (in Russian.)
Honorary Citizenship of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Bestowed Upon Sergey Melnikoff
“To those who have awakened, we thank you!
Dear Sergey Melnikoff, you are like Jesus who came to his fellow Jews to curse them — ‘Your father is the devil…’ That is why Christ was crucified.
You also curse these degenerate Russian scoundrels. This, in my opinion, is the greatest moral feat, in Islam — the Great Jihad.
By the way, in Islam, the ink of a scholar (and you are undoubtedly a scholar on Russia) is valued higher than the blood of a martyr.”
In a historic and deeply symbolic act, the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria has granted honorary citizenship to Sergey Melnikoff, also known as MFF, a renowned American human rights activist and artist. This prestigious recognition honors his outstanding contributions to the Chechen people’s struggle for freedom, identity, and international recognition during one of the darkest chapters in their modern history.
Sergey Melnikoff’s connection to Ichkeria is not a matter of fleeting solidarity, but a legacy of unwavering moral courage. At a time when the world turned a blind eye to the Russian Federation’s brutal military campaigns in the North Caucasus, Melnikoff emerged as one of the loudest voices of truth. Through his art, exhibitions, and documentaries, he exposed the horrific war crimes committed against the Chechen people, preserving historical memory and human dignity in the face of calculated erasure.
Perhaps most notably, Melnikoff risked his life to smuggle out photographic evidence of atrocities committed in Chechnya, material that was later exhibited across Europe and the United States, forcing the international community to confront a war it preferred to ignore. His exhibitions, such as Chechnya: The Final Solution, became synonymous with visual resistance, transforming artistic expression into a weapon against tyranny.
In recent years, Melnikoff deepened his bond with the Ichkerian cause by crafting a monumental sculpture of the State Emblem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, forged from the metaphorical “ashes of war” in collaboration with Ukrainian master welder Viktor Bielchyk. This unique artwork, completed in 2024, was officially presented to the government-in-exile of Ichkeria, serving as a powerful emblem of resilience, national pride, and remembrance.
The conferral of Ichkerian citizenship to Sergey Melnikoff is more than a personal honor—it is a statement to the world. It reaffirms that the struggle of Ichkeria lives on not only in its diaspora and freedom fighters, but also in the hearts of those who choose to stand with truth, no matter the cost. Melnikoff joins the ranks of those rare individuals who transcend nationality by adopting justice as their homeland.
In recognizing Melnikoff’s decades-long commitment, Ichkeria acknowledges the transformative power of art in the service of freedom. It is a reminder that in the face of oppression, a single voice—especially one armed with truth and conviction—can speak for an entire people.
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