Journalists ‘trying to open the eyes’ of Russians in the era of censorship
Russia the president Vladimir PutinAt a time when de facto wartime censorship was in place, Russian independent journalists were left in a desperate situation.
“Even though you work 12 hours a day, you sometimes feel helpless when you see that you can’t do anything to stop the war or change anything. On the other hand, I see that tens of thousands of people in the Perm region are against the war. If we stop our work, they will be left alone, uncensored information they won’t be able to get – Chief editor of “Perm 36.6” “Telegram” channel Anna Zhukova he says.
Putin His government has been suppressing dissent for years. These pressures intensified in the months before the attack on Ukraine. New received since the start of the attack law “Russia The Federation has criminalized the dissemination of information that discredits the armed forces.
That’s it law based on more than 300 crime case was opened and more than 5,000 administrative penalties were imposed in the form of short-term imprisonment and fines. This information was released by the “OVD-Info” organization, which monitors repressions in Russia. The organization has arrested at least 19,443 people in Russia since the start of the government’s attack on Ukraine for their anti-war statements imprisonment says he did.
“Sometimes the weight of the disaster falls on us. But this is not a reason to give up. This is a reason to gather strength and continue. Long roads are covered with small steps.” – says the founder of “Akbuzat” channel “Telegram”, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Akbuzat” covers the events in Bashkirstan, especially the impact of the war on the residents of the region.
Russia after the government’s persecution intensified, dozens of independent, social media based information project was created. Most of them imprisonment run by journalists who left the country because of the danger. In their interviews with RFE/RL, they say that they mainly listen to the voice of their conscience and that their main mission is not to leave Russians alone in the face of the state’s massive war propaganda.
Journalists from Samara on the “Razvorot” YouTube channel Anton Rubin and Daria Litvishko they manage. They used to host a morning show on the city’s liberal Echo Moscow radio station. The channel was taken off the air because it refused to comply with government censorship related to the war.
“Everything was closed and we were left in a vacuum. We decided to continue our work, and we did it online.” – said the journalists speaking to the “Idel.Realii” service of Radio Liberty.
At first, the small audience did not bother the journalists. “First of all, we started for ourselves. Like a kind of psychotherapy.” Rubin says.
Razvorot, among other innovations, created a weekly program called “V glaza posmotret” (“Look into the eye”). The channel here shows the audience what happened by talking in detail with the people who were directly affected by the war.
The channel regularly reports on the number and cost of missiles and drones used by Russia in attacks news gives and talks about what can be done for the residents of Samara with this money.
“If that money were invested in the economy and education, 5-10 with huge changes, our children could live in a prosperous society. Instead, they will have to pay compensation. War takes away our present and your future. …Moreover, given how the propagandists are waging their war, they are also taking our past away from us.” Rubin says.
The Perm 36.6 Telegram and YouTube channels were created in the summer of 2021 by activists of the repressed Perm wing of the movement of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned. Although they had to leave Russia, they decided to continue their relations with Perm, where all the media is in the hands of the governor of the region.
“We decided to tell people what the television is not telling,” – the editor says to Zhukov.
After Putin’s attack, the canal increased its productivity dramatically, and every day the war and its impact on the Perm region, including the West like about the consequences of unprecedented sanctions 20– Started sharing 30 posts. Among the most popular posts of the channel are “Why the army does not have uniforms” and “‘Unit There are titles titled “How members of Russia protect their sons”.
Channel soldiers mobilized in the Perm region protest also gives news about their actions.
The Telegram channel called “Serditaya Chuvashiya” (“Angry Chuvashia”) was also created as a remnant of Navalny’s persecuted organization. Active Semyon Kochkin after leaving Russia under the pressure of the state, this project was initially “apolitical” local for Chuvashia news established as a channel.
“However, we worked for a month after the start of the attack and realized that we need to do more. If we didn’t write about what was happening in Ukraine, our audience would start to believe the state propaganda and we would lose them. In short, circumstances led us to this anti-war project.” Kochkin says.
The channel publishes materials about the problems of soldiers mobilized in the region and their families, lists of killed soldiers revealed through the authors’ research and other sources. Western sources of Russia in Ukraine 20 Although it reported that between 1,000 and 25,000 soldiers died, the Kremlin said in September that this number was 5,937.
The avalanche is stillof the day He says that he finds it hard to believe that such a war is happening at this time: “It is even more surprising that people support him. I think the main task of this channel is to try to reduce the number of such people and open their eyes.”