Latest news with #EkaterinaBarabash
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Most Russians ‘don't care about the war,' says journalist Ekaterina Barabash after escaping Russia
In early May, 64-year-old film critic and journalist Ekaterina Barabash made international headlines when it was revealed that she had pulled off a daring escape from house arrest in Russia and sought political asylum in France. Barabash was put under house arrest in February for posts that she had made criticizing Russia's war against Ukraine. She was accused of spreading 'knowingly false' information about the military on her social media. The Kremlin has intensified its crackdown on dissent in Russia since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine, not only targeting those who dare to speak out against the war but also fostering a climate of surveillance that hearkens back to the worst periods of the Soviet era, urging Russian citizens to police one another. For Barabash, the war struck a personal chord — she is the daughter of a renowned Ukrainian academic and her son lives in Ukraine with his family. Unlike many Russians — who either seek to justify the war or retreat into indifference — Barabash felt a moral imperative to speak out 'Most people in Russia aren't willing to look for the truth,' Barabash told the Kyiv Independent from France. 'They've always been taught that Ukraine is just a part of Russia. But this belief is a kind of poison. It's something that every Russian grows up with, often without even realizing it.' In this exclusive interview, Barabash reflects on the moment she decided to risk her life to flee Russia, how her Ukrainian heritage shaped her perspective on Russian culture over the years, why even 'good Russians' who oppose the war don't understand Ukraine, and the bleak future facing anyone with a conscience who chooses to remain in today's Russia. This interview has been edited for length and Kyiv Independent: Since the idea for this interview originally came after you escaped house arrest in Russia, I just wanted to start off by asking, how are you doing? Ekaterina Barabash: I escaped from house arrest in Russia on April 13. I got past the checkpoints and left my home. We had a plan — I was supposed to be free within 24 hours. But things didn't go as expected, and I ended up having to hide for two and a half weeks. Unfortunately, I can't share all the details right now. It's a shame, because some parts are really interesting. Maybe one day I'll write about it — maybe even a small book. During that time, I hid in many places — in forests, fields, villages, and so on. It was a bit frightening and definitely dangerous. I knew I had to leave quickly, and that sense of urgency never left me. We had hoped they wouldn't notice my absence for at least a few hours, but they realized I was gone very quickly — within just minutes, maybe half an hour. They started searching for me almost immediately. I don't know all the details of how the search was carried out. After that, I had to cross the border into a European country. Of course, it was an illegal crossing. From there, things were arranged to help me move forward. A woman from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) came to meet me, and she helped bring me safely to Paris. The Kyiv Independent: Was there a specific moment when you decided that you would take the risk and escape, or did you know from the moment you were arrested that this was what you had to do? Ekaterina Barabash: No, I didn't make the decision right away. At first, when they placed me under house arrest, it felt almost like a breath of fresh air. It was so unexpected — usually, in political cases, people accused of such 'crimes' are held in jail while they await trial. But the judge said that because I had a very old mother, and I myself am not so young, they decided to place me under house arrest until the court date. At first, it gave us hope — even my lawyer believed that I might only receive a large fine rather than jail time. But within a few days, after some conversations with certain people, I realized the risk was very high. The chance of being sentenced to prison was real. I believed I could face five, six, even seven years in a Russian prison — and a Russian prison is worse than death. That was when some people from Europe, who help political prisoners like me, told me clearly: even though I was at home, I needed to plan my escape. At first, I was in shock. I never imagined I would have to leave — especially not my mother, who is 96 years old. But eventually, I realized it was the best option. I had to choose between two impossible outcomes: prison or fleeing the country. So, of course, I chose to escape. That's when we began the operation. I had coordinators from Europe who guided me through every step. They told me what to do, what to prepare, and explained our plan in detail. The Kyiv Independent: What makes your case unique among other Russian opposition figures is that you have very strong ties to Ukraine. Does your Ukrainian heritage influence how you view Russia and Russian culture? Ekaterina Barabash: Yes, I was born in Ukraine, though I was very young when we left — I was only five months old when my parents moved to Moscow. So my entire life has been connected to Russia. I always felt like I had two motherlands: Ukraine and Russia. I was born in Ukraine, but I was raised and educated in Russia, in Moscow. My family has always had very strong ties to Ukraine. My father, who passed away five months ago, was a well-known figure there. He was a literary critic and the author of many books written in Ukrainian. He was highly respected in the academic community. Years earlier, my son also moved to Ukraine for personal reasons. He lives there now with his wife and my grandchildren. So when the war began, my situation was very different from that of my friends in the Russian opposition. For me, it was not just a political crisis — it was a personal tragedy. My closest relatives were there, being targeted by drones and missiles. And I couldn't stay silent. I couldn't hold back my grief or outrage. I couldn't keep this anger and pain inside me. I started to speak out, openly accusing the Russian government and military of killing innocent people and invading Ukraine. I wrote things like, "I hate you — you are murderers." My perspective on the war was deeply personal. It wasn't just politics for me — it was about my family, my roots, and the suffering of people I love. Even intelligent and well-educated Russian people often don't truly understand Ukraine. Almost all Russians have been poisoned by imperial propaganda. They've been raised with it — it's part of their worldview. They've always been taught that Ukraine is just a part of Russia. That the Ukrainian language is just a slightly different version of Russian. That Ukrainians are our "younger brothers," and we are all one people — Russians. I've heard this over and over, even from good people, even from those who are against the war. But this belief is a kind of poison. It's something that every Russian grows up with, often without even realizing it. I knew at least a little about Ukrainian culture and history — something most Russians don't. I've done interviews and written about Ukrainian culture. So yes, my point of view was different from the beginning. The Kyiv Independent: We know that Russia's war against Ukraine started in 2014, not 2022. In what ways did Russian public opinion about the war in Ukraine change during those eight years? Ekaterina Barabash: Most people in Russia simply didn't care — and they still don't. Even many anti-Putin individuals, including some of my friends, didn't grasp that the war actually started in 2014. When the invasion happened in 2022, they acted as if it was the beginning of the war. I had to remind them, "No, the war started eight years ago." Later on, many of them started to understand, at least a little, what had been happening. But the truth is, almost no one cared. They saw (the invasion of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) as some small conflict in eastern Ukraine, maybe with some Russian soldiers involved, but they didn't recognize it as the coming of something horrific. They didn't understand the connection between the illegal annexation of Crimea and the war that followed. Yes, Crimea was officially part of Ukraine. But they thought that (Soviet leader Nikita) Khrushchev had 'given' Crimea to Ukraine many years ago and that Russia had long claimed it. Then came the war. The Kyiv Independent: What would you want to say to people still in Russia? Ekaterina Barabash: You know, I've recently realized one thing that I didn't understand at first: it's impossible to change their minds. It's like religion — you either believe or you don't. If you want to know the truth, you can seek out information, but most people in Russia aren't willing to look for it. There's a common response I get when I ask why they don't check alternative sources, like Ukrainian media. There are plenty of (Ukrainian) outlets that offer Russian-language versions of the news, and many people understand English, so they could easily access European media, too. Yet, they only rely on Russian sources. The answer I often hear is, "Everyone lies." They're willing to accept the lies from Russian propaganda, but they won't even consider competing narratives from other sources. "Everyone lies," they say. It's an awful argument — a foolish one, really. It's unfortunate, really, but what can I say to these people? Honestly, there's nothing more I can say. If you're scared, just stay silent. I understand — everyone has families, property, and they don't want to end up in jail. But if you care, then leave Russia, if you can, if it's possible. I know it's not easy to leave behind elderly parents. I never intended to leave mine. But my father told me several times, "Leave, leave, leave. The end will be very, very dramatic." Still, I couldn't bring myself to go. I had to take care of them. But if you care, if you can leave, then do it. Russia is not a place to stay. If you have any sense, you'll understand that. Hey there, Kate Tsurkan here, thanks for reading my latest interview. It's horrific that in Russia you're considered a criminal for calling out the actual criminals who are murdering innocent people, but thankfully we have people in this world like Ekaterina Barabash who are not afraid to call evil what it is. I hope her story inspires you and helps show that if a 64-year-old grandmother can stand up to authoritarianism in this world, then so can you. It you like reading about this sort of thing, Read also: Decolonizing Russia — what it means and why it matters We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Journalist Ekaterina Barabash describes her harrowing escape from Russia
When journalist Ekaterina Barabash started planning her escape from Russia, she couldn't bear to slip away forever without first saying goodbye to her elderly mother. "I had to tell her before my escape. She was the only one," Barabash, 63, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. "I was sure that it would be me who would calm her, and I thought she would be crying. But everything happened in the opposite. I was crying, and my mother was calming me." Barabash, a former Radio France Internationale contributor who later worked with the independent outlet Republic, was on house arrest and facing imprisonment for speaking out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine when she decided to make a run for it. Now, she is safe in Paris after a clandestine getaway orchestrated with the help of Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym, RSF. She's one of many Russian journalists and activists who have fled the country since 2022, when the government outlawed public expression that challenged its official narrative about its war in Ukraine. "Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's Draconian laws of March 2022," RSF director Thibaut Bruttin said Monday during a press conference with Barabash at the group's Paris headquarters. "At one point, we thought she might be dead." 'I'm a journalist, and I have to tell the truth' When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it claimed it was trying to liberate and "de-Nazify" the country. Barabash didn't buy it. "I understood that I couldn't keep silent," she said. "I'm a journalist, and I have to tell the truth." Her motivation was as personal as it was professional. Barabash's son and grandson live in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. She, herself, was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. "When you imagine how missiles, bombs … [could] attack your son's house, you cannot keep silent," she said. "It hurts, and your heart is going to break." So over the next two years, she wrote several Facebook posts criticizing the invasion. "So you [expletive] bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries?" one post read. "All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?" In February of this year, Russian authorities arrested Barabash upon her return from the Berlin International Film Festival. She was charged with spreading false information about Russia's military, branded a foreign agent and put on house arrest pending trial. She faced a sentence of five to 10 years. She says she's not sure why authorities waited so many years to come after her. "I cannot understand that part," she said. "Maybe they decided: It's her turn now." 'A great adventure' Barabash wouldn't get into specific details of how she got out of Russia, for fear of jeopardizing others using similar tactics. "I only can say that it was a great adventure," she said, with "many dangerous moments." She fled on April 21, and to the outside world, it seemed as if she'd just disappeared. She says left her house, tore off her ankle monitoring device and rendezvoused with a "special car" that was waiting for her. They then travelled more than 2,800 kilometres, using clandestine routes to evade surveillance. At one point, she says, the plan went awry, and she was forced to go into hiding, cut off from her contacts in Europe. That's when Bruttin feared the worst. "I had to disappear. I had to turn off all the smartphones, all gadgets," Barabash said. During that period of isolation, she says she lived in fear of getting caught, but pushed through it, staying focused on her ultimate goal. "I had an aim. I had a target. I had to be at freedom. So as I began this, I had to finish it," she said. "I had to be lucky and strong." WATCH | Filmmakers in exile: New Hot Docs category showcases filmmakers forced into exile 8 days ago Duration 2:07 North America's largest documentary film festival, Hot Docs, is spotlighting filmmakers forced into exile by conflict with a new category called 'Made in Exile,' featuring films from Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Afghanistan. Once she was out of the country, she met with Reporters Without Borders officials, who took her to Paris, got her a visa, connected her with a psychologist, and are now helping her apply for asylum. During a press conference on Monday with the organization, she condemned the lack of freedoms in Russia, saying there's no longer any such thing as a Russian journalist. "There is no culture in Russia, there is no politics. It's only war," she said, decrying state censorship. "Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism." According to OVD-Info, a prominent rights group that tracks political arrests, 1,240 people in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea have faced charges since 2022 because of their antiwar stance, and 389 are in custody right now. At least 38 journalists remain imprisoned in Russia, according to Reporters Without Borders. As she settles into her new life far from home, Barabash thinks back to her final moments with her mother. "She told me that I had chosen the right way or the left way, knowing that my immigration is much better than prison," she said.
France 24
09-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Russian journalist flees from Moscow to Paris amid crackdown on dissent
In this episode of our weekly media show Scoop, we meet Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash. She fled Moscow to Paris in a daring, dangerous escape spanning 2,800 kilometers. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) helped coordinate her exfiltration. We speak to Barabash and RSF's Louise Alluin Bichet about her ordeal and the Kremlin's crackdown on independent media.
Ottawa Citizen
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Russian journalist who escaped house arrest in Moscow arrives in Paris
Article content PARIS — Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash resurfaced in Paris Monday following an escape from Moscow last month after being put under house arrest and facing a 10-year prison sentence for posts condemning Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Article content Article content Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, said it helped Barabash orchestrate her getaway: She tore off her electronic monitoring tag and 'traveled over 2,800 kilometres using clandestine routes' to evade surveillance. Article content Article content 'Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022,' said the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's Paris headquarters. 'At one point, we thought she might be dead.' Article content Article content Days after invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian authorities adopted legislation that outlawed any public expression about the war that went against the official government narrative. Article content Barabash, 63, condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape. Article content 'There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It's only war,' she said, decrying state censorship. Article content Barabash said the very concept of a 'Russian journalist' no longer made sense. 'Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.' Article content The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023, lambasting Russia's actions in Ukraine. Article content 'So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?' one post read. Article content Article content Russian authorities arrested the veteran journalist and film critic, born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, upon her return from the Berlinale film festival in February. She was charged with spreading 'false information' about Russia's military, and branded a 'foreign agent.' Article content Article content Barabash was then put under house arrest. Article content Barabash said she crossed multiple borders, using covert channels coordinated by RSF, and spent two weeks in hiding and then she reached France on April 26, her birthday. Article content 'I just understood that I'd never see her,' Barabash said, adding they both decided that not seeing her while being free was better than a Russian prison. Article content Barabash's son and grandson remain in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. She hasn't been able to see them since the war started because 'I have a Russian passport,' she said.
Vancouver Sun
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Russian journalist who escaped house arrest in Moscow arrives in Paris
PARIS — Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash resurfaced in Paris Monday following an escape from Moscow last month after being put under house arrest and facing a 10-year prison sentence for posts condemning Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, said it helped Barabash orchestrate her getaway: She tore off her electronic monitoring tag and 'traveled over 2,800 kilometres using clandestine routes' to evade surveillance. 'Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022,' said the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's Paris headquarters. 'At one point, we thought she might be dead.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Days after invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian authorities adopted legislation that outlawed any public expression about the war that went against the official government narrative. Barabash, 63, condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape. 'There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It's only war,' she said, decrying state censorship. Barabash said the very concept of a 'Russian journalist' no longer made sense. 'Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.' The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023, lambasting Russia's actions in Ukraine. 'So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?' one post read. Russian authorities arrested the veteran journalist and film critic, born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, upon her return from the Berlinale film festival in February. She was charged with spreading 'false information' about Russia's military, and branded a 'foreign agent.' Barabash was then put under house arrest. On April 21, she disappeared. Barabash said she crossed multiple borders, using covert channels coordinated by RSF, and spent two weeks in hiding and then she reached France on April 26, her birthday. The hardest part was her inability to contact her 96-year-old mother, whom she had to leave behind. 'I just understood that I'd never see her,' Barabash said, adding they both decided that not seeing her while being free was better than a Russian prison. Barabash's son and grandson remain in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. She hasn't been able to see them since the war started because 'I have a Russian passport,' she said. Barabash thanked many people and the RSF team for helping her gain freedom. Their identities were kept confidential for their protection. The former Radio France Internationale contributor, who later worked with independent outlet Republic, hopes to seek asylum and resume work with exiled Russian-language media. She does not yet have a French work permit, but RSF says she holds a six-month visa and is in the process of regularizing her status. 'Now I'm here and I think it will not be (an) easy way to begin (a) new life. I'm not very young,' she said. Barabash joins a growing wave of Russian journalists in exile — more than 90 media outlets have fled to the European Union and neighbouring countries since the war began, according to RSF, which ranks Russia 171st out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index. Barabash told The Associated Press that, for her, a Russian prison was 'worse than death.' 'If you want to be a journalist, you have to (live in) exile,' she said. If you want (to) stay in Russia as a journalist, you are not a journalist. That is it.' At least 38 journalists remain imprisoned in Russia, said the media freedom group. Thousands of Russians have been swept up in Russia's crackdown against dissent over the war, including journalists. According to OVD-Info, a prominent rights group that tracks political arrests, 1,240 people in Russia and annexed Crimea have faced charges because of their antiwar stance, and 389 are in custody right now. — Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer and Alex Turnbull in Paris and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
