Thor A. HoplandI don't always share #Lemmy threads, but I feel this one is important.
In today's #news cycle, the only thing we hear about #Russians is re #Putin and his lust for power - but we don't get to hear about the Russians who oppose his autocratic regime - particularly those who are independent #journalists still fighting the good fight.
#ElenaKostyuchenko and her comrades have been hunted and forced in exile while pursuing truth to power. She is a hero in a time of cowards.
YSK that Elena Kostyuchenko is one of the bravest person in the world. - sh.itjust.works
Elena worked for Novaya Gazetta, the last independent newspaper in Russia. She covered corruption, prison violence, gay rights and Chechnya. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Her newsroom was systematically harassed. She has been arrested and beaten on many occasions. In fact, 4 of her colleagues were murdered [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novaya_Gazeta#Deaths_and_attacks_on_journalists] under her watch. After the invasion of Ukraine, the newspaper was shut down. She left Russia and moved to Eastern Ukraine. She started systematically documenting war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians. [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/e1f010ad-477f-4605-a5fb-2ce4f382cfbc.png] [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/a790b3f0-6e48-4dd1-88da-5ca1b35cc68b.png] https://femantiwar.org/en/interview-kostyuchenko/ [https://femantiwar.org/en/interview-kostyuchenko/] She was forced to leave after Ukrainians warned her that the Russian soldiers put a bounty on her head [https://youtu.be/CobxH2gH4pM?t=2418]. (you can use english subtitles) [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/c466c8f2-3d79-4026-b21c-97e30b35b881.png] Then, a few weeks later, she was hospitalized. Her food was poisoned in an attempt to kill her: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/12/you-may-have-been-poisoned-how-an-independent-russian-journalist-became-a-target [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/12/you-may-have-been-poisoned-how-an-independent-russian-journalist-became-a-target] https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke-university-elena-kostyuchenko-russian-journalist-in-exile-visiting-professor-poisoned-kremlin-20251124 [https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke-university-elena-kostyuchenko-russian-journalist-in-exile-visiting-professor-poisoned-kremlin-20251124] [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/8238c84b-9b0f-464b-a003-e40c41cd84db.png] Elena miraculously survived and kept reporting. She now teaches at Duke University in the US. When asked if she is afraid, she said the following: [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/6d29b278-2191-482c-961d-56e9caaa94a8.png] https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-22/elena-kostyuchenko-im-not-afraid-if-i-wasnt-afraid-of-putin-i-wont-be-afraid-of-trump.html [https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-22/elena-kostyuchenko-im-not-afraid-if-i-wasnt-afraid-of-putin-i-wont-be-afraid-of-trump.html] Elena is one the bravest person I know. When you think about it, people living in Western Democracies have no excuse. You can create a labor union in your company. You can run for office in your town. You can fight big corporations to reduce pollution. In my life, whenever I lack strength to do the right thing, I always think about her. [https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/0c57a741-cd2f-4afe-8f5d-823ff9852ee3.png]
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