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Last summer, Russian authorities began throttling YouTube playback speeds, rendering the popular video platform practically unusable. This has pushed many Russians to change their media consumption habits. Meduza analyzes the current and potential consequences of the Kremlin’s ongoing campaign against YouTube.
In a report on audience strategies, Reuters Institute journalist fellow Maria Kiseleva examines which platforms Russian exiled media use to continue reaching audiences inside the country. The report, which focuses on platform shifts and monetization strategies, also draws on research by the JX Fund.
After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country reshaped its global position. While the Russian press freedom is at an all-time low, there are still some islands of independent journalism. Among them are Irina (Ira) Malkova and Peter Mironenko.
In this article, Natalia Belikova argues that Belarusian independent media in exile are vital to Europe’s security, countering authoritarian propaganda and upholding democratic discourse. She urges the EU to provide long-term support, warning that recent funding cuts endanger this essential media ecosystem.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently gave an interview to the Russian magazine Expert about the state of the country’s media following nearly three-and-a-half years of full-scale war. Peskov said that Russia is currently experiencing “a time of wartime censorship — unprecedented for our country.”
“Before I was just seen as a journalist in exile. Now, no one in Russia wants to be linked to someone labeled a terrorist.” Armen Aramyan, DOXA Journal’s Founding Editor, speaks about his recent arrest in absentia, the spread of global authoritarianism, and the state of independent Russian media in exile.
A Russian journalist recounts returning from exile to report undercover inside Russia, navigating fear, surveillance, and censorship while challenging the overly bleak narratives often portrayed by exile media. They argue that repression is real but selective, and that the country remains socially complex and more nuanced than many abroad believe.
On June 11, at Berlin’s Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien gallery, Meduza publisher Galina Timchenko sat down with sociologist Polina Aronson for a conversation about the emotional toll of today’s news cycle — on both readers and journalists. One of the questions raised during the Q&A was how censorship is reshaping the ways newsrooms connect with their audiences.
This Strategic Vision Paper is an essential guide to understanding the Belarusian media in exile. Despite relentless state terror, Belarusian media in exile continue to reach up to 39% of the audience inside the country. A striking 94% of their audience opposes the war in Ukraine – a powerful testament to the influence of independent journalism.
“This is evidence for the future. It’s critical to document these crimes now, even if justice is delayed,” says Maria Zholobova, a Russian journalist in exile and an ICFJ Jim Hoge Reporting Fellow, who investigated how the son of Ukraine’s ousted president allegedly profits from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories.
Dissidents who have fled Alexander Lukashenko’s rule in Belarus have spoken of threats being made against them and their relatives at home. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians are estimated to have left their country since the brutal crackdown on widespread opposition protests in 2020, after Lukashenko, 70, claimed victory in presidential elections that were widely condemned as rigged.
Inside Russia, journalists carry on working — risking arrest, surveillance, and the safety of their families, or navigating the shifting boundaries of state censorship. Meduza spoke with several of them about the constraints they face, the stories they can no longer tell, and how they view their colleagues in exile.
From April 26 to July 6, the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien gallery in Berlin hosts “No,” an exhibition curated by Meduza that brings together artists and journalists to explore life and work in exile amid Russia’s war on Ukraine and repression at home. The launch featured a panel on censorship with Ukrainian writer Zhenia Berezhna and Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov.
This article explores how Russian opposition media, forced into exile after the 2022 crackdown, continue reaching audiences through platforms like YouTube and VPNs. It highlights their growing dependence on viewer donations, the impact of lost international funding, and the ongoing struggle to sustain independent journalism under increasing pressure.
A Meduza journalist working undercover in Russia describes living a double life, hiding their identity from both friends and sources. Balancing safety, fear, and the burden of secrecy, they reflect on censorship, impostor syndrome, and the emotional toll of reporting anonymously in a society where many no longer want to hear the truth.
More than 60 exiled Belarusian journalists face criminal charges under opaque “special proceedings” that allow convictions in absentia. Authorities seize property, harass relatives, and label journalists as extremists in a sweeping campaign of transnational repression. Many now self-censor or work anonymously to protect themselves and their families.
The death of Alexei Navalny shocked the world and dealt another blow to Russia’s opposition. Navalny had united and mobilized many, but now the movement is divided. In exile, his allies clash with Khodorkovsky’s. Ilja Yashin fights irrelevance abroad, while in Russia, Yekaterina Duntsova resists repression at the local level.
Like much of Belarus’s independent media sector, Hrodna.life is struggling for sustainability in exile. Forced to relocate to the EU, the team lost not only the advertising market but also direct contact with the audience it serves. They saved themselves from prison but lost the opportunity to breathe the same air as their readers – and this is crucial for local media like theirs.