"The international arms trade is still less regulated than the banana trade"

Russian photojournalist Nikita Tereshin has been visiting gun shows around the world for many years, creating a photo book. Its publication provides a glimpse into a disturbingly real and thriving arms market.

At the end of the summer of 2016, as has been customary since 1993, the International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) was held in the vicinity of the Polish city of Kielce. This is the largest arms exhibition in Central Europe. More than 600 companies from 30 countries presented their products.

Almost 22,000 people gathered among tanks, machine guns, bazookas and the latest developments in the military industry, snacking on canapés and glasses of wine or champagne. Among the government delegations and vendors (the general public does not have access to such exhibitions) was photojournalist Nikita Tereshin. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1986 and participated in such an event for the first time.

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“I saw something that I could never have created in my imagination.”

Impressed by the spectacle, he visited 80 international defense exhibitions in different parts of the world between 2016 and 2023, which allowed him to write a book “Nothing personal: the rear office of the war.” This photo book offers a strange look into the disturbingly real, dark and thriving business of war.

“I saw something that I could never have imagined or thought possible.” – says the photographer in a video interview with EL PAÍS from his home in Berlin.

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At an exhibition in Lucknow (India), there was a tank at the entrance to the men's toilet, and in the Indian Army pavilion there was a photo montage of a headless soldier in a Russian uniform and with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, from whose neck an atomic explosion bursts.

“This industry is very cynical,” says Terisokhin. “600 miles away, there was a war against Yemen and the Saudi coalition was bombing hospitals and schools. It was a truly shameless scene. It was like being in a Hollywood movie.”

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Cynical world
In Abu Dhabi, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the International Defense Conference and Exhibition (IDEX), the author witnessed an unusual scene: “In one of the halls there was a cake more than 2 meters long. The decoration reproduced a strange militarized scene of land, sea and air, seasoned with edible ammunition. In the center there was an explosion (in icing), surrounded by tanks and soldiers, fighter jets and warships. It was real madness “– recalls the photographer.

“There came a point where guests were offered tiny plastic forks to eat the cake, which ended up looking like a real battlefield.”

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War Fanatics
Thanks to the richness of color, the use of flash and sharp angles, Tereshin's keen and keen eye is able to show scenes in which the absurd goes hand in hand with tragedy.

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The photojournalist also does without a human face. “I wanted to show the system, not the individuals. The absence of faces became a metaphor for an industry trying to remain unnoticed.”. Thus, the photographer shows the opposite side of the battlefield, with all the dirt and destruction: an adult theme park, where weapons sparkle against the backdrop of an impeccably manicured crowd. Tanks, drones and thermal imagers are sold with the same indifference as vacuum cleaners at a home appliance show.

There is no mention of death at such events.
Only the image of one mannequin, imitating a soldier who has lost his leg, speaks of the deadly nature of the product. “The mannequin is used to train soldiers and doctors on what to do if they lose a leg,” explains Tereshin.

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Among the images are slogans used by companies: “70 years of protecting peace” – emphasizes the company that distributes Kalashnikov assault rifles. Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons manufacturer, which annually earns five times the UN budget on peacekeeping missions, is not far behind: “Creating a better future” – says his motto.

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“This can only happen in a sector that is governed by rules different from others.”warns the photographer. “In a sector that remains in a kind of bubble, where there is no real feedback from society. However, I am afraid that even if the slogans were different, it would not affect the import of weapons.”

Nothing personal
“If there is no regulation, then there is no way to sell guns. There are no ethics in this industry. Business is business… hence the title of the series – 'Nothing Personal'.”

There is a good amount of humor in my work, which “was a way to deal with the cynicism that is present in all of this. If it weren't for humor I wouldn't be able to believe in humanity anymore – notes Tereshin. – We are very accustomed to seeing pictures about war, but the question is different: where do all these weapons come from? This is the part that is rarely discussed in the media.”

“The international arms trade remains less regulated than the banana trade.”

Linda Akerström, director of the Swedish Peace Society, emphasizes in the text included in the book: “The international arms trade remains less regulated than the banana trade.”

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Despite the fact that the book is very critical of the arms industry, the author advocates sending weapons to Ukraine. “We faced Putin. As a Russian, I still have a passport and I think it is very necessary to support Ukraine. If it falls, then other European countries will be in the crosshairs of the Russian president,” he says.

“When I started the project, I didn’t think so… But everything has come a long way. At the moment, it is necessary to defend democracy. And we need weapons. But this does not mean that I have stopped perceiving the global arms trade system as an insoluble problem. This an escalation that has no end.”

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