Against Censorship and War
Independent Media in Exile and in Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Ever since Putin took office as president in 2000, independent media outlets have been under pressure. The dismantling of the television station NTV marked the starting point. Since then, more and more media have been criminalized, stigmatized as “foreign agents”, and closed down. Freedom of the press has been abolished. Since the full-scale attack on Ukraine, de facto censorship has prevailed in Russia. Around 1,500 journalists have left the country. Russian-language media continue their work in exile and also find an audience in Russia. One concern is their funding. It is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct research on the ground with the help of stringers and anonymous informants. Russia’s authorities have taken the Chinese path. They are trying to bring the Internet under their complete control. With the elimination of the Russian public sphere, the political and social importance of journalism in exile has grown: it has become a surrogate for the public sphere.
(Osteuropa 1-3/2025, pp. 365–384)