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 Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

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