On Dec. 22, the bombing escalated with jets screaming low over the city. Cynthia Elbaum, a 28-year-old freelance photographer from Ashfield, Massachusetts, on assignment for Time magazine, was caught in a bombing raid. She was one of the first journalists to be killed in the war in Chechnya.
The rolls of film she shot on that trip to Chechnya, a selection of which is shown on this page, are finally being exhibited in Russia. Her photos bring back those days in Grozny like delayed shock.
The women wrapped in gray woolen scarves barring the way to the advancing tanks. The men dancing themselves into a trance in the zikr, the Chechen prayer rite. People sitting around fires; ramshackle-looking volunteer fighters; armed men disappearing into the shadows; Movladi Udugov, the Chechen Information Minister, making phone calls before the lines finally went down; and everywhere the seeping, numbing cold and utter disbelief in everyone's eyes that war was upon them.
Cynthia seemed young and impressionable. It was her first war. As a correspondent covering the battle for The Moscow Times, I felt qualms as she set off with other seasoned war photographers. She would come back everyday, shocked at the suffering she had seen and deeply moved. Her photos captured it all and tell something about herself as well, her warm heart, her eye for light and texture.
The exhibition runs from April 29 to May 5, noon -- 8 p.m., at the Photocenter, Gogolevsky Bulvar, 8 (tel. 291-8602). Metro Kropotkinskaya. Special reception for journalists by the Glasnost Foundation, May 3, 5 p.m. (tel. 201-4420).
-- Carlotta Gall
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.