JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

Opponents of Russia’s war against Ukraine are discovering that their government ID cards have been canceled since they fled Russia. Deutsche Welle spoke to those affected.

Moscow’s Dorogomilovsky District Court arrested in absentia TV Rain journalist and former IStories employee Ekaterina Fomina and IStories’ editor-in-chief Roman Anin. The journalists are accused of spreading so-called “fakes” about the Russian army with the motive of political hatred.

Russian exiled media and activists held a telethon  in support of the growing number of political prisoners inside Russia, raising tens of thousands of euros for those currently held behind bars.

Valera Ilinov, the founder of the leading independent media outlet covering the republic of Komi, sees his work as inherently political and decolonial. Last month, the 24-year-old founder of Komi’s flagship independent news outlet Komi Daily was fined for violating Russia’s censorship laws twice in one week.

YouTube remains the only major US-based social media platform available in Russia. It’s become “indispensable” to everyday people, making a ban tricky. Journalists and dissidents are taking advantage.

“I consider this label repressive. But I can say for sure that we will continue to work, whatever they call us,” says Daria Poryadina, editor of the exile-Russian news outlet SOTA, that got declared an ‘undesirable organization’ by Russia’s Prosecutor General on May 16.

A Moscow Court has registered a misdemeanor case accusing Meduza co-founder Galina Timchenko of participating in an “undesirable organization,” Mediazona reported on May 27, citing online records.

In the first two months of 2024, the Russian parliament has approved new laws ramping up pressure on journalists and public figures critical of the war on Ukraine. The new laws were adopted two years after the enactment of wartime censorship in Russia, which forced many independent journalists to flee.

Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved a bill banning advertising on publications by “foreign agents”, a designation authorities have given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and media.

With 29 journalists currently imprisoned, and 280 journalists and media organisations proclaimed “foreign agents”, Russia sits almost at the bottom of the Press Freedom Index. Even for those in exile, the danger remains.

Publications like The Insider are caught between state censorship and hostile platform dynamics.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, there have been numerous scandals related to the surveillance of Russians abroad by Moscow’s intelligence services and alleged Russian spies working in foreign countries.

Exiled Russian journalists, countering Kremlin control abroad, face a lot of risks and funding challenges. Navigating exile, they strive to keep Russian journalism alive.

Exiled journalists face challenges, from societal backlash to adapting in a new country. Many experience symptoms beyond PTSD, such as social death, adaptability issues, and overwhelming stress.

Working from European cities, Russian journalists employ fact-based reporting to counter disinformation. An exploration of activism, identity crisis, and professionalism amid heightened risks.

Russian media outlets, NGOs, and activists in exile are innovating to maintain connections with audiences. Despite challenges, these initiatives adapt lessons from the pandemic to stay relevant.

Media outlets in Russia have adopted diverse strategies to navigate censorship. This article delves into the experiences of three such regional projects as they grapple with challenges.