Introduction
Stanislav Aseyev (Ukrainian: Станіслав Володимирович Асєєв; 1989) is Ukrainian writer and journalist. His best known work is a novel The Melchior Elephant (2016). In May 2014 his native city of Donetsk fell under control of pro-Russian militants and he remained there. During 2015 — 2017 Stanislav was publishing his reports (writing under the pen name Stanislav Vasin) for Mirror Weekly newspaper and other Ukrainian media, before June 2, when he disappeared. Colleagues believe that he was kidnapped by militants from so-called Donetsk People's Republic.
Biography
Stanislav Aseyev born in Donetsk in 1989. In 2006 he graduated from secondary school in the town of Makiivka and started courses in Institute of Informatics and Artificial Intelligence of Donetsk National Technical University. There he earned a Masters of Religious Studies with Honors in 2012.
His philosophical interests include 20th-century French and German ontology.
As it was described in biography published in Yunost magazine after University Stanislav travelled to Paris, applied for service in French Foreign Legion, then came back in Ukraine and tried many professions (loader, intern at the bank, grave digger, operator in the mail company, shop assistant).
Life in occupied Donetsk and disappearing
Stanislav Aseyev has stayed in Donetsk since it was captured by pro-Russian militants in 2014. He discribed the war in Donbass and his life under occupation in his novel and journalistic reports.
His last report was for RFE/RL's project Donbass Realities, sent in June 2 (disputable if it was really wrote by him or, maybe, under pressure of kidnappers). His facebook page was active for a while but probably managed by another person.
Stanislav's mother (living in Makiivka near Donetsk) visited his appartment and witnessed traces of illegal enter and search there.
His fellow student and former MP Yehor Firsov reported Stanislav's disappearance on June 6 blaming Russia-backed militants of kidnapping. Later this fact was commented by Security Service of Ukraine, UN Monitoring Mission on Human Rights to Ukraine, Ukraine Journalists Union.
Literature
The main Aseyev's work in prose is an autobiographical novel The Melchior Elephant or A man who thought. It was published for the first time in Moscow in Yunost magazine (#1 — #6, 2015) and in the next year it came out in hardback in publishing house Kayala (Ukrainian: Каяла) in Kyiv. According Yunost's editor Yevgeniy Malevich: «his perspective is not a journalist-like, nor a writer-like but he's the young philosopher. In his novel Stanislav turns himself inside out, showing the world of a small town and the war that tore the country in half».
Journalism
Stanislav Aseyev used pseudonym Stanislav Vasin to report from territories occupied by Russian militaries and pro-Russian militants. The reason was widespread persecutions by so-called Ministry of State Security and different militants’ groups of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Aseyev's position wasn't clearly pro-Ukrainian (so often he was blamed by commentators because "a lack of patriotism" or "immaturity of political views"). But his reports exposing crimes in self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, war crimes of its militants, Russian activities in Donbass, pro-Ukrainian resistance etc.
In 2015 his reports was published by Ukrayinska Pravda. In 2016 — 2017 he was a correspondent of Mirror Weekly, notable Ukrainian newspaper where he published 14 articles. Also in 2016 — 2017 he create about 50 articles and photo-reports for Radio Liberty.
Works
- Шестой день: сб. поэм, рассказов и стихов / Станислав Владимирович Асеев. — Донецк: Норд-Пресс, 2011. — 207 с. — ISBN 978-966-380-480-4 (in Russian)
- Андерхилльские ведьмы: драма: в 2 ч. Проза / Станислав Владимирович Асеев. — Донецк: Донбасс, 2011. — 228 с. — ISBN 978-617-638-065-8 (in Russian)
- Мельхиоровый слон, или Человек, который думал: Роман-автобиография / С. Асеев // Юность. — 2015. — № 1—6.(in Russian)
- Мельхиоровый слон, или Человек, который думал: роман-автобиография / Станислав Асеев. — Киев : Каяла, 2016. — 267 с. — ISBN 978-617-7390-05-2 (in Russian)