December 29, 2022

The Case for Supporting Russian Civil Society, with Jamie Fly and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

By: Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend and Jamie Fly

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the media environment inside Russia has become increasingly restricted. This represents the acceleration of the Putin regime’s crackdown on the information space over the past several years, including through the targeting of journalists, activists, and news outlets. In this atmosphere, pushing back against efforts by the Kremlin to control the narrative is both more important and more difficult than ever. Two organizations that are continuing to do this work are Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time, which make use of online platforms and anticensorship tools to reach audiences inside Russia who are seeking reliable and trustworthy information. Jamie Fly, Andrey Shary, and Pavel Butorin join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss their work at RFE/RL and Current Time as well as the state of civil society in Russia more broadly.

▪ Jamie Fly is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RFE/RL.

▪ Andrey Shary is the director of RFE/RL's Russian Service, Radio Svoboda.

▪ Pavel Butorin is the Director of Current Time TV, a Russian language digital and TV network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with the Voice of America.

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