Reporting Russia: Independent Journalism Under Putin

Doing investigative journalism in Russia has never been an easy task, but now it is harder than ever. Following the arrest of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the crackdown on media critical of the Kremlin and of President Putin himself has started in earnest.

Leading Russian investigative journalists and editors join us to discuss the current dangers and future prospects of investigative reporting in Russia.

Roman Badanin is the founder and editor-in-chief of Proekt, a non-profit investigative media organisation based in Russia. One of Proekt’s most famous investigations was into the private life of Vladimin Putin, a taboo subject for the Russian media. It showed how a former cleaner and reportedly the mother of the Russian President’s illegitimate child became the owner of a luxury ski resort and a stakeholder in the Kremlin-friendly Bank Rossiya.

Roman Dobrokhotov – is founder and editor-in-chief of The Insider, an independent online magazine focusing on investigations and debunking misinformation in Russia. His most famous works includes an investigation into the Salisbury Poisoning Suspects and most recently his key role in unmasking the people behind the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

Roman Shleynov – a legendary Russia investigative journalist, who worked for Novaya Gazeta, one of the very few opposition publications in the country. He now writes for iStories (Important Stories), an online publication with a specific investigative focus. iStories’s offices have been recently raided by the Russian authorities and its editor Roman Anin taken in for questioning.

Moderated by Jane Lytvynenko – Senior Reporter, online investigations at BuzzFeed.