Ukrainian Sich Riflemen and Their Role in the Birth of the National Military Photojournalism

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to reveal one more interesting page in the history of the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, which was formed on the eve of the First World War. In addition to the fact that the USR became foundation for building the Ukrainian army, they put a lot of effort in the field of popularization of military victory. USR created thematic paintings, drawings, sculptures, songs, including photos. The author of this investigation, Ratushnyi R. Ya., states that it is the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen became a major factor in the emergence of the Ukrainian military journalism.
The work of photographers of that time, and it would be more correct to talk about photojournalists, have become an invaluable treasure for popularizing history of Ukraine. The photos are a documentary evidence of the revival of the Ukrainian army. The main feature of photography is to stop the moment life, to document the event that happened in detail, and to give the viewer the opportunity to become a passive witness of the moment. This is the main advantage of photography over other genres of journalism. Photojournalists, who were USR legionnaires, did a great job with difficult task. The result of their work was a photo album “Ukrainian Sich Riflemen”, which was timed to mark the 20th anniversary of its creation Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen and published by Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv in 1935.
It is immediately noticeable that all the achievements of photojournalism that were created in derivative conditions 100 years ago, are actively used today. The military conflict with Russia, the struggle for independence requires purposeful work in the field of propaganda and truthful depiction of events, which take place in the east of our state nowadays: in Donetsk region and Luhansk region. The experience of our predecessors-journalists must be taken into account and used today with regard to digital technologies and the latest means of presenting information — television and the Internet.