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The decision to leave Russia was made on February 24, 2022, the day the war broke out. Russian investigative journalist Jelena Kostyutschenko (36) traveled to Ukraine to report on the war. But shortly after her arrival she had to flee. Her life was in danger, she says. According to her own statements, she narrowly escaped a suspected assassination attempt ordered by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (47).
It probably wasn’t the only attempt to silence her. In Germany, where she subsequently fled, Kostyutschenko was allegedly poisoned in 2022. She was about to leave for a report when she had a weak seizure. Her condition then worsened from hour to hour.
While the German legal system is under investigation, Kostyutschenko has written about her relationship with her homeland in a book. In addition to reports she wrote for Novaya Gazeta, ‘The Country I Love’ contains autobiographical chapters written after her escape.
This week she traveled to Geneva to present her book at an event. Blick has agreed to meet her for an interview. In the conversation, she provides a dazzling insight into the reality of a journalist who worked under the Putin regime – and who, even in exile, still fights for the freedom of speech and writing.
They survived two alleged assassination attempts by the Russian regime. Do you wake up in the morning feeling anxious?
Yelena Koshychenko: When I came to Western Europe, I initially found a peace that I had not known for a long time. I felt very safe at first. For a brief moment, I was no longer afraid. But since the poisoning attempt in Germany, my state of mind is the same as when I worked in Russia.
That means?
If you worked as a journalist for an independent media in Russia before the war, you knew you were taking risks every day. You always worked knowing you could die. There was an entire safety protocol in place to minimize these risks – before independent newsrooms had to close completely. Nowadays I work for the independent, banned Russian media “Meduza”. Since I’ve been there, I’ve also been following a protocol to protect myself as much as possible. But these “rules of conduct” do not provide 100% certainty…
What do these protocols look like?
Of course, I can’t make them completely public because otherwise they would be useless. But what I can say is that on the street, for example, I always pay attention to who is walking in front of or behind me. I am very careful about which communication channels I use and what information I share, whether by phone or email.
That can make you a little paranoid in the long run …
In fact, this life has become so automatic that it is like brushing your teeth. Over time, I no longer notice that this is not a normal existence. Since the poisoning attempt, I have been following all of these protocols again – and have even supplemented them with the help of my colleagues. I don’t feel so safe in Western Europe anymore. But I’m clearly used to not feeling safe, so it’s not that bad (laughs nervously). I would say I am now emotionally detached in this regard. However, this is not the case with my partner.
Does she fear for your life or your friend’s?
She didn’t have the experiences I had because of my work. This situation of constant uncertainty is quite new for her. She is very emotionally affected. If a door slams too hard or footsteps seem a little too heavy, she flinches and quickly becomes paralyzed. The last time this happened we were in a cafe.
What exactly happened?
It was someone’s birthday, the waiter came with a confetti cannon and detonated it behind us – without us seeing it coming. When there was a bang, my friend reflexively leaned forward and tried to pull me to protect me.
So your friend travels with you. What about the rest of your family, who I assume remained in Russia?
Yes, my mother and sister are in Russia. I must admit that since the invasion of Ukraine I have had some problems with my mother, who initially supported the Russian regime because of all the propaganda on television. But eventually she came to her senses and realized that there was actually something wrong with the information we were receiving from the state.
The second time you said you feared for your life was in Germany. So Moscow has a long arm: is there a whole network of Kremlin agents working undercover in Europe and ready to pull out the polonium vial?
Personally, I have never worked on issues directly related to Russia’s foreign intelligence services. But colleagues from banned Russian media such as ‘The Insider’ and ‘Bellingcat’ were able to identify about seventy Russian intelligence agents in Europe and have started publishing this information. The Russian secret service had previously been involved in the murder of opposition figures. However, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, their objectives may have changed.
Has Has the Secret Service targeted fewer journalists in the past?
Previously, his main targets were former Federal Security Service (FSB) agents, such as opposition politician and whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko. Now it seems that Russian journalists are not safe in Europe either.
Today, the fate of post-Soviet Russia is often compared to that of Germany after the First World War: humiliated, weakened and angry with Europe. Despite your anti-Kremlin stance, do you share or understand Russians’ frustration with the West?
I think this comparison with Germany after 1918 is very apt. This also applies to the resentment that Russia feels towards its neighbors and itself. At the end of the Soviet Union, at the beginning of the chaotic perestroika period in the 1990s, many people still held out hope that their lives would improve with the fall of the Wall and Russia’s opening to the world.
The opposite was the case.
The 1990s in Russia were a time of crime and general impoverishment of society. Many people lost their jobs. My mother, who was a chemistry researcher at university, ended up having to scrub floors to make ends meet. There was a shortage of medicines in the hospitals. It was a terrible time and it didn’t take long for people to become very nostalgic for the Soviet Union.
What is the biggest misunderstanding that exists in Western European countries about Russia and its people after February 24, 2022 – that you would like to correct?
The claim that the Russian people support the war in Ukraine is false! From what I have seen and read, the Western media perpetuates this false perception by reproducing the Kremlin’s figures on popular support for the war in Ukraine and for Putin. If Europeans seriously suspect Putin of rigging the elections, do you really believe his government’s polls are reliable?
Where do you think you can find reliable data?
You should look at the NGO figures, not the government figures. Because what people say publicly and privately is very different, and that should not be forgotten given the oppression of dissidents. In fact, according to an independent survey by a non-governmental organization that will be published shortly, the exact source of which I cannot yet identify, only 15 percent of Russian citizens support the war. 15 percent are absolutely against it. The other 70 percent? They say they ‘tolerate’ him.
Then why don’t the people overthrow their leader, whom according to your figures they no longer want?
Because today the penalties for making critical statements about the authorities in public or on social networks range from a large fine to fifteen years in prison. Every day a so-called opposition member is thrown in jail for setting an example and for every little bit of criticism of the government. But it is also true that the Russian people are quite used to living in fear. The Soviet Union had a huge impact on collective memory in this regard. Today they are particularly remembered, unfortunately rightly so: the repressive mechanisms are similar to those of the USSR.
Do you miss Russia?
Yes very much. I dream about it every night, it haunts me.
And what exactly do you dream about?
About my daily life when I was there. From the editorial staff of Novaya Gazeta. From the small village where my mother lives. But I know that if I come back now, I will risk my life and my freedom and I could be arrested at the airport.
Could Russia ever become a democracy?
Yes, of course, but this democracy needs to be built. And that requires regime change. Without a new revolution there will be no democracy in Russia. You have to address that.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
