War on Media: Russian State and Independent Journalism w/ Ben Noble

On Tuesday 26 April join us at Pushkin House for a panel discussion about the state of media in Russia and contemporary Russian propaganda.

Since the full-scale Russian military invasion started on 24 February 2022, the Russian authorities have managed to completely desolate the domestic media landscape. While Russia had never been high on the list of countries supporting freedom of speech, in the past weeks its government has managed to shut down almost all independent voices. Many Russian and foreign journalists have had to leave the country, and those who have remained have to operate under the branding of ‘foreign agents’. All of this has created a distorted vision of reality for many Russian citizens as the Russian propaganda machine remains, unfortunately, highly effective.

Academics and journalists, including Dasha Afanasieva (Reuters), Andrew Roth (The Guardian) and Prof Vera Tolz (University of Manchester) will present their overview of how information circulates in Russia, how the Russian government silences independent journalists, and if there is any chance for the West to win the information war inside Russia. The event will be moderated by Navalny co-author Dr Ben Noble (UCL).

About Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future?

A Financial Times Politics Book of the Year 2021

Who is Alexei Navalny? Poisoned in August 2020 and transported to Germany for treatment, the politician returned to Russia in January 2021 in the full glare of the world media. His immediate detention at passport control set the stage for an explosive showdown with Vladimir Putin.

But Navalny means very different things to different people. To some, he is a democratic hero. To others, he is betraying the Motherland. To others still, he is a dangerous nationalist. This book explores the many dimensions of Navalny’s political life, from his pioneering anti-corruption investigations to his ideas and leadership of a political movement. It also looks at how his activities and the Kremlin’s strategies have shaped one another.

Navalny makes sense of this divisive character, revealing the contradictions of a man who is the second most important political figure in Russia—even when behind bars. In order to understand modern Russia, you need to understand Alexei Navalny.