More than 18 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, independent media inside Russia has all but disappeared.
Many Russian journalists have fled, and now report from exile in countries such as Germany, Georgia, Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan, among others. Adjusting to their new surroundings, these reporters and newsrooms are navigating an uncertain future for independent Russian-language media.
Last week, ICFJ hosted three Russian journalists in exile to discuss how they left Russia, their reporting from abroad, and the security and censorship challenges they continue to face today. Sara Fischer, the senior media reporter at Axios, moderated the panel.
“The oppression of the Russian media was happening before the war started. We experienced it in our personal lives previously, and now [world] leaders can see it,” said L*, who currently lives in Germany. “We are all facing criminal punishment in our country.”
Here’s more from what the journalists discussed about reporting in exile:
Fleeing abroad
Immediately after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, independent journalists scrambled to flee the country. Those who remained were arrested or had their newsrooms shut down for not toeing the Kremlin line when reporting on the war.
“When [the invasion] started, no one knew what rules [to follow]. Our team did not know if they were safe,” said Z, who runs an anonymous Telegram channel that delivers news to Russian audiences from abroad.
G, who is now based in Lithuania, explained how the move into exile occurred in three waves for his outlet. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the newsroom’s senior managers left first. “At that time, our digital site was our main channel to connect with our audiences [and] it was blocked by Russian censorship services. Part of our team, including me, decided to move to Istanbul, then I fled to Lithuania, because we had previously established a legal body in Lithuania,” G said.
The second wave happened in May 2022, in response to rumors that Putin would soon announce mobilization to conscript more men into the army. This forced G’s publication to relocate most of their male staff abroad.
From October to December 2022, his outlet initiated a third wave. The publication gave all remaining staff members in the country the choice to move to Montenegro, a NATO member that does not border Russia. Staff that decided to remain in-country became anonymous freelancers – and no longer employees – to ensure their safety.
Although the journalists said they feel safer abroad than had they stayed in Russia, threats remain. “I do feel safe, because I don’t print my name on what I edit,” said L, though noting: “We know that there were three poisonings of Russian journalists in Germany.”
The importance of anonymity
Russia has targeted independent media through repressive legislation on foreign agents and undesirable organizations, in particular. Journalists who write for an organization deemed “undesirable” can easily find themselves in prison for their work, while outlets and journalists classified as “foreign agents” are subjected to onerous auditing and labeling requirements that drain resources.
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