From the directory of Marquis
“Who’s Who in America”


An American classic in landscape photography, Sergey Melnikoff was born in Leningrad in 1955 into the family of a WWII pilot and Air Force General. His college degrees are in Oceanography and Biology (PhD in marine biochemistry). A former executive member of Soviet Culture Fund. Over 30 years he has been working in the field of professional journalism.

A dissident and a political prisoner who served a long-term confinement in the Soviet forced-labor camps (1981-1987). Author of the exhibition “Accusations against the USSR for experiments with humans” shown in the largest Universities in Japan, South Korea, and the US.

In 1989 Sergey Melnikoff fled the USSR along with his wife and minor daughter. While living as an illegal immigrant in China, where the family was concealed by CBS News USA, he received the status of a political refugee granted by a United Nation special resolution. He was sent to Thailand by the US embassy and thereafter immigrated to the United States of America.

While in the US, Sergey Melnikoff worked as an independent consultant for US Military Intelligence and was commissioned in the search for American prisoners of war who lived through Soviet GULAG camps. He also collaborated in a series of Pentagon missions in the territories of Russia and the CIS. Author of the book “American Prisoners Are Always a Commodity” that harshly criticizes the work of the POW/MIAs committee of the US Department of Defense.

Founder and owner of two US corporations engaged in research expeditions, and both underwater and highland filming, as well as an art gallery business. Space tourism ideologist. In 1955 underwent training for a flight to Mir orbital space station.

In 2002, on behalf of the President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev, Sergey Melnikoff effectuated a surveying expedition to give a name to a nameless mountain peak located in the highland of Tien Shan range.

One of the strongest photo and TV cameraman in the world who works in extreme environmental conditions. Proprietor of dozens of websites. Founder of a distinguished internet site “GULAG: With a Camera Around the Camps”. Co-author and executive director of international project-exhibition “Chronicles of Hell – Accusations against Russia for the genocide of Caucasian nations”.

Founder and director of a TV series “An Hour of Adventures”, “Treasure Hunters”, and “The World is Too Small for Wild Animals”.

He worked as a director-cameraman in 150 countries on all continents of the Earth.