December 14, 2025

Defiance through Artistic Recreation


Defiance through Artistic Recreation
The classic painting and a modern take. Left, detail of Repin's "Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks." Right, detail of 
Emeric Lhuisset's "From far away, I hear the Cossacks’ reply." Composite by the author.

When Russian painter Ilya Repin unveiled his painting, "Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks", in 1891, he probably didn't anticipate that it would one day become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian incursion. But now, more than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion, Repin's painting has become a rallying cry: so much so that some Ukrainian soldiers are painstakingly recreating it.

The original painting depicts a legendary (perhaps apocryphal) event around the year 1676, when Ukrainian Cossacks, after defeating Ottoman forces, sent an insult-filled, vulgar letter in response to Sultan Mehmed IV's demand for their surrender. In the painting, a group of hardened warriors laughs with colorful glee as they compose the letter.

Today, as Russian and Ukrainian forces fight over the territory once trod by these same Cossacks and not far from Repin's birthplace, the painting carries a new level of meaning.

While the trend dates back to 2014, when Russia first began claiming Ukrainian territory, the most famous and awarded recreation thus far was created and organized by photographer Emeric Lhuisset (a part of it is shown above next to Repin's original). The central figure, holding a walkie-talkie in place of Repin's scribe, is none other than Roman Hrybov, the Ukrainian border guard made famous by dismissing a Russian warship with an expression that wouldn't be out of place in the Cossacks' legendary message. (That warship, the Black Sea flagship, was later sunk, by the way.)

While Lhuisset's photo is meticulous and professional, others seem more spontaneous, done on the spur of the moment by frontline soldiers. They may gather around battle maps or ammo boxes, wearing camo and carrying rocket launchers, but all sport the same brash, devil-may-care defiance encapsulated in Repin's original. See a small collection here.

You Might Also Like

Searching for Nazis
  • June 05, 2022

Searching for Nazis

Putin says he invaded Ukraine to root out Nazis. Zelensky compares the defense of Ukraine to the heroism of the 1940s. Can both be right? No. No, they can't.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955