‘The choice was prison or exile’: journalists who fled Russia publish grim portrait of Putin
Summary
Russian journalists Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin faced raids and threats from Russian intelligence due to their investigations into President Vladimir Putin. They fled Russia after their media project Proekt was banned, and together wrote a detailed book portraying Putin as a cruel leader who uses fear and violence to stay in power.Key Facts
- In June 2021, masked officers from the Russian intelligence agency FSB raided the homes of journalists Badanin and Rubin in Moscow.
- Badanin and Rubin co-founded Proekt, an independent media outlet focused on investigative journalism that was later declared "undesirable" by the Kremlin.
- Rubin was warned by security agents and his parents were questioned about his activities, showing the pressure on journalists in Russia.
- After the raids, Rubin found his passport left on a table, signaling he was allowed to leave Russia, which he did soon after.
- Badanin, on holiday in Morocco at the time of the raid, chose not to return to Russia to avoid prison.
- Their book, The Tsar in Person, offers an 800-page biography of Putin from his early days to his long rule, portraying him as a dictator using cruel tactics.
- The book details suspicious deaths and attacks on Putin's opponents, suggesting a pattern of violent repression.
- The book is banned in Russia and is aimed at educating young Russians and audiences abroad about Putin's rule and Russian history since the Soviet Union collapsed.
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