JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

CONTEXT

RUSSIAN MEDIA IN EXILE SINCE 2022

The history of Russian independent media operating in exile is at least a decade old. But the mass exodus – counting dozens of outlets and hundreds of journalists – only started after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the related crackdown on free speech. The number of media operating outside Russia has since proceeded in waves – driven by growing repressions, both administrative and physical, as well as rising digital censorship.

The landscape of Russian media in exile now counts at least 62 active independent Russian media projects that have relocated to over 25 countries, forming the largest community of exiled journalists globally.

Some independent outlets, such as Meduza, had operated from abroad for years before the full-scale invasion. However, post-2022, a diverse range of media joined the exile movement, including smaller investigative platforms, specialized Telegram-centric news providers, regional outlets and various host-led YouTube projects.

A small number of independent journalists and outlets remain in Russia, operating clandestinely under immense pressure and censorship. Exiled media, which are often larger than peers from other countries, have decentralized, multi-country structures that include some team members in Russia, a broad network of collaborators in various countries, and central hubs in cities like Riga, Berlin, and Tbilisi (larger ones sometimes have multiple hubs).

These setups enhance operational resilience and access to resources while fostering collaboration with foreign media. These tend to be more frequent compared to other exiled media communities due to global interest in Russia – making exiled Russian independent media a significant component of global reporting.

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“Despite widespread censorship, Russian exiled independent media saw their YouTube subscriptions grow by over 19% per year between August 2022 and August 2024. In the same time, Telegram subscriptions increased by almost 17% each year.”

JX Fund, Locking Down the Windows – A New Phase in the Fight for Press Freedom in Russia

FIGURES & TRENDS

MEDIA PROFILES

Russian independent media in exile focus predominantly on the national news agenda. Out of 62 assessed outlets, 49 primarily cover national issues, while 13 focus on regional topics.

The establishment of these outlets has been closely tied to political and social events, particularly the post-war period beginning in 2022, which saw a significant spike in new launches. In 2022 alone, 12 outlets were founded, compared to smaller but steady growth in prior years.

All assessed media use Russian as their primary language, but almost a third have English-language website versions. That indicates their desire to not just stay relevant for the audiences inside the country, but also be a source of information for foreigners interested in the events in Russia.

Society, politics and news continue to be the main focus areas for content created by Russian independent media in exile. However, many media report growing news fatigue among audiences, and have instead tried to diversify their content – both thematically and in terms of format.

FIGURES & TRENDS

REACH & DISTRIBUTION

Russian independent media in exile experience substantial consumption, reflected in the 29.2 million cumulative visits to their primary websites. This number likely underrepresents traffic, as many outlets rely on mirror sites and other methods to bypass censorship and ensure accessibility in restrictive environments.

Although data issues (including the world’s highest usage of Virtual Private Networks) make data analysis difficult, Russian independent media in exile likely reach between 6.7 to 9.6 million people inside Russia. YouTube and Telegram have been growing the fastest – 19.2% and 16.6% annually between August 2022 and August 2024, respectively. This is likely why they are currently being prioritized by digital censors.

FIGURES & TRENDS

COMMUNITY

Russian independent media in exile lack a formal association (similar to, say, the Belarusian Association of Journalists in Belarus) that would carry out various representative functions, engage in advocacy and monitoring. However, there are several initiatives – omitted here for security reasons – focused on such issues like the promotion of high-quality journalism, tech innovation and digital rights protection.

“In 2024, Russia led the world by content removal requests to Google and was in the top ten by the number of requests to TikTok. Most were justified by national security concerns.”

JX Fund, Locking Down the Windows – A New Phase in the Fight for Press Freedom in Russia

EXPERT COMMENT

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES

Russian independent journalists likely constitute the largest media community in exile in history. Despite strict internet censorship, widespread website blocking, and overtly repressive measures (designation as “foreign agents”, labeling as extremists, criminal cases, and bans on earning money in Russia), they still manage to maintain a significant audience in Russia and retain this audience’s trust.

For various reasons, Russian authorities have not yet decided to completely isolate the national internet segment (or perhaps are technically unable to do so). This allows Russian independent media to both maintain audience reach and obtain information from Russia, working with sources and freelancers inside the country. After February 24, 2022, there were concerns that Russian media in exile would lose contact with their audience, but this did not happen. One reason is that residents of major cities in Russia, Europe, and other countries essentially live “on the internet”, making journalists’ physical location less important than it was before.

Nevertheless, gathering information in Russia remains a challenge for Russian media in exile. Other problems include unstable funding, increasing risks for journalists both inside and outside the country (including and psychological attacks and repression against relatives), and the threat of blocking or restricting Telegram and YouTube. These social networks remain the main platforms for Russian media content distribution. In this regard, public and political pressure on big tech companies is crucial, as they can help Russians bypass censorship (or at least not facilitate it, for example, by removing VPN applications from app stores).

Funding Russian independent media is a serious challenge, especially given the prospect of reduced budgets from foundations supporting free Russian-language media. Due to the Kremlin’s actions, Russian uncensored media have become extremely dependent on this funding. Although newsrooms are seeking alternative revenues, the survival of newsrooms (especially large ones) is unlikely without donor support in the near future. Currently, the total budget of Russian independent media is approximately 50 times smaller than Russian state spending on propaganda and censorship.

Why is preserving Russian independent media important? They maintain access to the most active segment of Russian society, the informed class, including the younger generation (who use VPNs and social networks more). The news and commentary this group receives will largely determine whether Russia returns to a democratic path after Vladimir Putin’s rule ends or maintains an ultra-conservative, nationalist, and imperial vector. This, in turn, affects security not only on the European continent but worldwide.

By Dmitry Kolezev, Journalist and founder “It’s My City”

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