Surveillance and listening
The arrest of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Evan Gershkovich became known on the morning of March 30. However, the editors of the WSJ lost sight of him the night before, shortly after he arrived in Yekaterinburg. “I landed at the airport,” Evan wrote to colleagues around 2:00 pm and did not get in touch again.
Gershkovich knew that he was being followed. Russian security forces harassed the reporter during one of his editorial assignments, recorded his movements on camera and put pressure on sources. The journalist assumed that his phone could be tapped. During another trip, to Pskov, unknown people also followed him and filmed him.
“Spying is always there now if you leave Moscow,” explains a British reporter who knows Evan and who wished to remain anonymous. According to him, the Russian security forces constantly monitor the business trips of employees of foreign editorial offices to the regions. A former employee of the German Deutsche Welle also told The Insider about this. Moreover, they monitor both foreign and Russian employees of foreign editorial offices. This began even before the war, many even got used to the constant presence of security forces in the regions.
“Once I was “meeted” right on the platform in one regional center. At the wagon. That is, all the names instantly made their way, all business trips, where we live and on what flights we arrive, and so on. You register everywhere, ”says a DW employee. According to him, this system began to work a few years before the war:
“After 2017, foreign citizens, when registering at hotels, were instantly deregistered at their place of residence, their data was sent to the migration service. Thus, all the movements of foreign journalists are in full view.”
Hunt for reporters
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, propaganda Telegram channels have begun hunting down journalists. So, in the spring and summer of 2022, some resources connected with the Russian special services on Telegram published photos of foreign media employees, called for reporting on journalists’ visits to the region and transferring any information about them to special Telegram chats.
“Attention, Yekaterinburg! A German journalist is spying for Ukraine,” URALLive wrote in August when Christian Esch from Spiegel arrived in the city to prepare a report. “Espionage” was called ordinary journalistic work – Ash planned to take comments from relatives of the Russian military who died in Ukraine, as many other media, including federal ones, do. In the same Telegram channel, Ash found pictures from a surveillance camera in which he is being screened at the Yekaterinburg airport.
Foreign reporters accredited by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are accused by such channels of working for the Ukrainian special services, without bothering with any arguments. In addition to Ash, the victims of the channels were the head of the Moscow correspondent office of the WSJ, American Ann Simmons, the magazine's staff translator Valentina Ochirova and cameraman Artur Bondar, as well as the German journalist Silke Bigalke. Their materials about the war were called “anti-Russian” and called on the special services to “deal with” the authors.
Jason Corcoran, an Irish journalist who has worked in Russia and the CIS countries for 17 years, also spoke about the threats. Unknown people sent a message to him on Telegram: “We are extremely unhappy with the tone of your reports, Jason. Now you have security problems of a personal nature, ”the message said.
“I'm glad I got out and would recommend the rest of the Western journalists in Moscow to leave. Putin will use them as pawns,” Corcoran tweeted.
Interrogations at the border and in the police department
Stefan Scholl, correspondent for the German Südwest Presse in Moscow, faced interrogation while entering Russia from Latvia. According to him, he spent more than an hour talking with employees, presumably the FSB, about his attitude towards Putin and the events in Ukraine:
“I answered their questions fairly frankly. He said that almost everything Putin did with respect to Ukraine, starting with the annexation of Crimea, violates international law. And they began to convince me that a system where the majority in elections always choose the same person is better. The culmination of our discussion was the question: “Are you really a spy?”
A Spanish reporter who wished to remain anonymous told The Insider that in February 2022 FSB officers at passport control at a Moscow airport asked him "numerous strange questions." So, the FSB agent was interested in whether the journalist had drugs, medications in his bag, and also asked if he had depression or anxiety. “It was a very strange case,” the reporter recalls. He noted that before this precedent, he and his acquaintances had no particular problems crossing the border after the start of the war.
In August, FSB officers also detained Christian Esch for three hours. At Sheremetyevo, they took away his passport and interrogated him. Ash was asked what he thinks "about the NWO", whether he was in Bucha and what he saw there, and they also urged him "not to write badly about Russia." After the conversation, Ash got his passport back and was allowed into the Russian Federation.
British journalist Mark Bennets, who has been living in Russia since 1997, was also interrogated by Russian intelligence officers – he was detained in Moscow in February 2022 during an anti-war rally he was covering. Bennets was taken to a paddy wagon with protesters, then taken to the police station and put in a separate room. Intelligence officers asked the journalist what he knew about Russia and what he thought about Putin. He was later released without a protocol being drawn up.
“Putin is taking Western hostages, and I wondered if I could be a pawn in a Cold War-style prisoner exchange? I tried to dismiss the thought, as Russia had never imprisoned a British journalist before. But in times like these, nothing can be ruled out,” Bennets recalled in an article in The Times. Then it was difficult to imagine that a year later his colleague Evan Gershkovich would be arrested for espionage.
Russian Foreign Ministry: "These are fakes"
First of all, reporters from the United States and Britain have “on a pencil” in Russia, it is easier for journalists from French and Spanish publications to work. This is confirmed by almost all foreign reporters interviewed by The Insider. This may be due to the fact that French- and Spanish-language publications have a smaller reach and audience than large English-language newspapers, so they are less interesting for Russian security forces and do not experience problems with movement.
“We travel to the regions, we can travel,” said the French journalist, who wished to remain anonymous in the conversation. – I have been many times in the Russian regions, in small towns: in Kursk, in Belgorod – and in general there were no problems with the security forces. I was not detained, I was not interrogated. They are not very interested in what we write.”
Nevertheless, there are cases when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Russian embassies tried to actually censor the texts of foreign authors working in Russia. Articles containing criticism of the Russian authorities or data objectionable to the Kremlin are declared "fake". According to the interlocutor of The Insider, a journalist from Spain, this is such an “elegant” way of putting pressure on the authors.
“The Russian embassy in my country, Spain, shares screenshots of articles in our Spanish media and flags them as “fake”. As if saying: we are watching you, and you know what will happen if you publish fakes about the Russian army. That's why I pay close attention to what I talk about, as well as how, ”says the Spanish journalist.
One example is the Times article about Vladimir Putin, which says that if necessary, he can plan an escape from Russia. The Russian Embassy in Britain declared the material fake, although it does not contain direct statements, but provides data from various political scientists and experts, mainly Russian and mainly from open sources. The diplomatic mission published a tweet with a caustic comment, in which it stated that the entry for the author of the article, journalist Mark Bennets, was closed for several years.
“It seems that Mark Bennets, who was banned from entering Russia a few years ago, forgot that he is not writing one of his fairy tale books, but a news piece where he needs to put the facts in order. On the other hand, in any case, this has not been a strong point of The Times lately, ”the diplomatic mission said in a post.
The Russian Foreign Ministry was also upset by Bennets's article entitled "Who blew up the Nord Streams?". Russian diplomats did not like the fact that the material, along with other versions, also mentions the probable involvement in the Kremlin explosions. A "refuting" article appeared on the website of the Foreign Ministry, however, it refuted something that was not in Bennets' article (Bennets's text did not contain statements about who was behind the explosions). The material talks about the versions that exist around the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, but does not insist on any of them. Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry called the journalist a "propagandist." They also urged to “apologize”, write new material and “point out the real (according to the Russian Foreign Ministry) organizers and perpetrators of this sabotage, who are holed up on the other side of the Atlantic.” Meanwhile, there is still no official data on who could be behind the explosions.
Arie Paananen, a correspondent for the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat, who has worked in Russia for more than 30 years, failed to renew her visa after the Russian Foreign Ministry lashed out at her. The agency did not like the article in Russian about the civilian casualties of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the article a fake and an example of "baseless anti-Russian propaganda", and published a "refutation" on its website. Roskomnadzor blocked access to the Ilta Sanomat website, and in October 2022, the journalist was not given accreditation for the first time since 1990.
Foreign reporters were also affected by the laws on fakes and discrediting the Russian army, which imply imprisonment of up to 3 and up to 15 years, respectively. “Work has certainly changed since the start of the war, especially when this Russian law on fakes came out,” says the Spanish reporter. – Many people stopped using the word “war” when they went on TV, they said “special military operation”. True, now many have returned to the “war”, as propagandists also use this word on Russian television.”
Some articles are written by foreign authors under pseudonyms in order not to receive an administrative or criminal article, or they generally refuse dangerous topics. “This is such a new division of labor in the Western media. Those who write about Ukraine are based mainly outside of Russia, although before the start of large-scale hostilities it was different,” says Stefan Scholl.
“It is difficult to write in such a way that no one regards it as discrediting the Russian army. Sometimes I even refused some leadership assignments, because I saw how risky it was, or advised me to give this topic to an employee who is not in Russia, of course, offering help from my side, ”says the Spanish journalist.
Visa blackmail
One of the main problems that reporters from Western countries have faced is the inability to obtain or renew visas. According to a British correspondent who wished to remain anonymous, the Foreign Office very rarely grants visas to journalists who are not currently in Russia:
“I only know one such person who received an entry permit from February 2022. I am trying to get a new visa now. I asked them to make an exception. The Foreign Ministry told me that I had to write an explanatory note about why I left Russia.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reduced the visa extension period from one year to three months for foreign reporters. “This is a big problem, because every 3 months you have to collect a new package of documents, do this paperwork for an extension,” says the French journalist. “It turns out that you have extended one visa and you already need to collect documents for the next extension,” – confirms a reporter from Britain.
At the same time, it became more difficult to extend a visa even for three months. To do this, you need to obtain a letter of accreditation, as well as registration and a medical certificate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues accreditation at the very last moment, a Spanish journalist says:
“Let's say my visa expires on Friday, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues me an accreditation letter, for example, on Wednesday or Tuesday. In fact, I have two days for the entire procedure. The documents still need to be brought to the migration service on Pokrovka. And so you wait, wait for these letters, and then they call, and you try to collect everything and be in time everywhere, this is a very big stress, since everything is done at the last minute.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows about the difficulties of foreign journalists. And they confirm that they did it deliberately, allegedly because of the “Russophobic” policy of foreign media in unfriendly countries, but in reality, apparently, to reduce the amount of content that is inconvenient for the Kremlin.
“And constantly there, through one, Western journalists from unfriendly countries said that it was very difficult for them to work in Russia now, because now they need to apply for visas more often, apply for accreditation more often. They snickered at the bar, ”Zakharova commented on the issue at a March 16 working meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the heads of bureaus of foreign media accredited in Russia. She mentioned the “boorish” attitude of foreign journalists at least three times.
Visa blackmail also affected some reporters from friendly countries. Indian freelance journalist Vikram Aditya (name changed for the speaker's safety) was warned not to communicate with Russian oppositionists when he applied for a Russian visa. He knew almost all the employees of the diplomatic mission, but everything did not go as expected. When Vikram arrived, a stranger accepted his passport and documents. The conversation took place in January 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I think you are aware, but I need to warn you that now is a very difficult time for our country,” the diplomatic mission official began the conversation. – You need to be selective in your contacts so that there are no problems with your stay.
– This is a threat? Vikram tried to clarify what kind of contacts the consul was talking about.
“Just watch who you communicate with, contacts with those who act against our country will not bring you anything good,” the consul said.
The journalist suggested that the warning was sounded after learning about his contacts with a Russian activist who had the status of a “foreign agent”. But Vikram's colleague soon received a similar warning. According to The Insider's interlocutor, these are attempts at intimidation: the Russian authorities are especially afraid of seeing criticism from states that Moscow considers allies.
“To be honest, I don’t really understand why Russia hasn’t kicked out all Western correspondents yet. They even passed a law for this, ”a British journalist asks. This is a law on mirror measures to ban Russian media in other countries. The Prosecutor General's Office will be able to ban foreign mass media activities in Russia, as well as suspend the license of Russian media for up to three months for publishing information that it considers unreliable. In case of a repeated violation, this period is extended to six months, the registration of the media may be invalidated, and the broadcasting license may be terminated. Foreign journalists, in accordance with the new law, may be deprived of accreditation in case of unfriendly actions, with the introduction of restrictions on the distribution of Russian media working abroad.
Some correspondents use other means to continue working in the country. “I resolved this issue, like many here, I applied for a residence permit, because I have such an opportunity, I have a family and children,” one of the reporters, who wished not to name, told The Insider.
Big no comment
The aggressive rhetoric of the Russian Foreign Ministry towards foreign media has led to the fact that more and more Russians perceive foreign journalists as "enemies of the fatherland." Now foreign reporters are increasingly facing aggression from ordinary Russians.
“Some people react aggressively when they find out that I am a foreign journalist. They say that I bring harm to Russia or something like that. It’s not very common, but I’ve never heard such statements before,” the Spanish reporter shares. This also affected my personal life. Some acquaintances here in Russia openly criticize my activities, they think that I am working against Russia, its people, and this is not true.”
But the main problem all the interlocutors of The Insider called the fear of people to communicate with foreign journalists. Talking about politics with Russians was difficult before, but now it's hard to find a speaker even on non-political topics like art or sports. And it is especially difficult for TV journalists, a correspondent from Spain complains:
“Absolutely no one wants to talk on camera, which makes it virtually impossible to prepare a TV report on topics related to the war or human rights. Люди просто боятся говорить».
Помимо законов о фейках и дискредитации армии, россияне опасаются случайно передать иностранцу сведения, которые российские власти посчитают секретными или частью гостайны. С 1 декабря вступил в силу приказ № 547 «Об утверждении Перечня сведений в области военной, военно-технической деятельности Российской Федерации, которые при их получении иностранными источниками могут быть использованы против безопасности РФ». К таким сведениям документ относит, по сути, любую информацию о деятельности российской армии, в том числе мобилизации. Под действие теоретически может попасть любая аналитика на военную тему. Понять, какие сведения относятся к государственной тайне, а какие нет, россиянам трудно — как и иностранным журналистам.
Впрочем, не все россияне шарахаются от западных корреспондентов, отмечает репортер из Германии Штефан Шолль. По его словам, появление иностранца из западной страны воспринимают часто положительно, причем и в больших городах, и в глубинке, и в Москве, и в регионах:
«Говорят, “хорошо, что вы тут еще есть“! Многие радуются, когда они слышат мой акцент, — рассказывает репортер. — Однажды в Чебоксарах незнакомая женщина была очень рада поговорить со мной. И даже сразу дала мне знать, что ей стыдно за то, что ее страна делает в Украине».
Молчание чиновников
После начала войны разговаривать с корреспондентами зарубежных изданий перестали даже чиновники, ранее открытые для комментариев, например, представители партии КПРФ. «Я пытался достучаться до всех возможных чиновников в Белгороде, но не получил ни одного ответа на письма», — рассказывает испанский репортер.
«Как-то я пытался дозвониться до одного специалиста, работающего в официальном учреждении, названия не помню, что-то связанное со странами СНГ. Он сначала сказал ”да”, но потом отменил интервью и перестал отвечать. То ли это акт самоцензуры, то ли кто-то сказал ему не разговаривать со мной», — рассказывает журналист другого СМИ из Испании.
Интересно, что в случае с Эваном Гершковичем также фигурировало отмененное интервью. Об этом рассказал политтехнолог из Екатеринбурга Ярослав Ширшиков, который помогал Гершковичу организовать встречу. По его словам, журналист договорился получить официальный комментарий от Минобороны, но военные всё отменили за 15 минут до начала интервью.
Последствия ареста Эвана Гершковича
«Это было неписаное правило — не трогать аккредитованных иностранных журналистов, и сейчас оно перестало работать», — рассказывает член группы правовой помощи Первого отдела Иван Павлов, комментируя задержание Гершковича. Арест корреспондента WSJ поменяет очень многое в работе иностранных СМИ в России, уверены собеседники The Insider. Французский журналист считает, что теперь репортеры будут опасаться ездить в определенные регионы и разговаривать на темы, связанные с войной:
«Это новый поворот, новый прецедент, который власти могут использовать. То что Эван был объявлен шпионом, создает огромный риск для любого журналиста, особенно, когда ты собираешь информацию, например, о ЧВК «Вагнер», российской армии, погибших и их семьях».
После введения закона о фейках многие иностранные СМИ ликвидировали свои редакции и корпункты в России. Журналисты The New York Times, которые ранее базировались в России, теперь приезжают в страну в командировки, полагая такой формат работы более безопасным. Некоторые сотрудники СМИ заявляли, что задумывались вернуться в Россию, но отказались от этой идеи после ареста Гершковича.
«Друзья и родственники просили меня вернуться в свою страну, чтобы оставаться в безопасности, или, по крайней мере, покинуть Россию и отправиться в более дружелюбную страну. Они боятся, что меня могут посадить в тюрьму или депортировать», — делится корреспондент испанского СМИ.
«Это очень грустная и ужасная ситуация, потому что Гершкович был арестован и объявлен шпионом по сути за то, что делал свою работу, собирал информацию для статьи. Многие говорят, что Эвана задержали, чтобы пополнить обменный фонд для обмена заключенными с США. И я боюсь, что возможны и другие подобные случаи», — рассказывает французский журналист.
На эти мысли сотрудников иностранных СМИ навели комментарии Марии Захаровой, которая заявила, что Гершкович не единственный, кто, по мнению МИДа, занимался шпионажем. А значит, нельзя исключить, что аресты «шпионов» продолжатся, а зарубежных корреспондентов в России практически не останется. Исход сначала российских независимых, а потом и иностранных СМИ расчистил поле для прогосударственных ресурсов, которые заполняют освободившееся информационное пространство путинской пропагандой. «Мир теряет это окно в Россию, а россияне теряют одну из очень немногих площадок, где их можно услышать», — заявила координатор «Комитета по защите журналистов» (CPJ) Гульноза Саид. По-видимому, это и может быть истинной целью российских властей.