Russian independent media has had a rough decade in Moscow, with many forced to leave for Baltic nations or other jurisdictions to be able to report freely.
The Kremlin long has put out a narrative that most of this ‘independent media’ was on the payroll of the American intelligence services.
Now that the Kremlin narrative has turned out to be true, there is shock, surprise, and even anger being expressed by Russian independent media personalities.
Yulia Latynina was one of the main stars of liberal journalism, a permanent host of Ekho Moskvy and one of the most caustic critics of the Russian government. Much has changed in the last three years, writes a journalist interviewing her recently on this subject.
What prompted Yulia, who is still listed as a foreign agent in Russia, to reconsider her attitude to the war, Ukrainian activists and liberal journalists? What does she now think about the empire and the new world order that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are writing? What conclusions did she draw from the USAID story and what is her response to dissatisfied subscribers?
“My ideas about what was happening began to change when I read a very laudatory book by Franklin Foer about Biden. And then I read a recently published book by Bob Woodward. “
Hellbound and Down 