# Journalists Exiled from Russia > Exiled Russian journalists struggle to escape moral conflict while reporting on war. - Title: Journalists Exiled from Russia · Foreign Policy | Shortify - Summary: Exiled Russian journalists struggle to escape moral conflict while reporting on war. - Keywords: russia, ukraine, journalism, exile, vladimir putin, dozhd, tv rain, my undesirable friends, war, political prisoners, navalny, Foreign Policy - Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/11/13/russia-my-undesirable-friends-film-movie-review-war-ukraine-journalism - Author: Anastasia Edel - Read time: 1 min - Topics: russia, ukraine, journalism, exile, vladimir putin, dozhd, tv rain, my undesirable friends, war, political prisoners, navalny ## Exile Begins Two women flee Russia after full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. ## Moral Dilemma Journalists face conflict between loyalty to Russia and truth-telling about war. ## Censorship Laws Russia’s censorship laws risk journalists’ freedom with up to 15 years in prison. ## Exile Journey Journalists travel to Istanbul, Tbilisi, Prague, and Tel Aviv without new visas. ## Cognitive Dissonance Journalists explain themselves to hosts, Ukrainian sources, and Russian parents. ## Elena Kostyuchenko Elena Kostyuchenko, ex-Novaya Gazeta journalist, wrote about Russia’s fascism before four colleagues were murdered. > All of us … spent many years, thoroughly, in great detail, in very good, well-written articles describing the coming of fascism in Russia. ## Alesya Marokhovskaya Alesya Marokhovskaya films protests but avoids physical intervention. > My job is to film. You don’t rush in to defend the person. You film them, because, well, that’s your job. ## Dozhd Exile Dozhd journalists broadcast from Riga, Latvia, after losing Dutch broadcasting license. ## Irina Dolinina Irina Dolinina receives anonymous threats with passport numbers and flight details. ## Poisoning Incident Kostyuchenko recalls symptoms of poisoning in Munich in October 2022. > Foul sweat, disorientation, nausea, swollen extremities. ## Morgue Scene Kostyuchenko describes morgue scene in Mykolaiv with sisters killed by shelling. > In the fridge, the bodies are stacked in layers. Two girls lie on top of each other. They’re sisters. The older one is 17, in the heap of bodies, all I can see is her hand, long thin fingers with a neat pink manicure. The younger is 3, she lies on top of her sister. … Her body is dotted with red shrapnel wounds. ## Yana Kuchina Yana Kuchina, Kostyuchenko’s partner, has cerebral palsy and faces discrimination in Russia. > My cerebral palsy is considered an intellectual inadequacy in the eyes of the authorities. ## Ksenia Mironova Ksenia Mironova’s fiancé Ivan Safronov is held in Moscow prison on high treason charges. > Ivan gets 22 years. ## Sonia Groysman Sonia Groysman directs anonymous camera operators to report on Russian protests. > Sasha Skochilenko, an artist sentenced to seven years for replacing price tags with anti-war messages. ## Alexey Navalny Alexey Navalny, opposition leader, died in prison after Dozhd covered his health. > He was a beacon for many. Now, all she sees is total blackness ahead. ## Ukrainian Perspective Ukrainian journalists continue work despite destroyed homes and war. > We don’t have the energy and time to worry and panic. ## Key takeaway Exiled Russian journalists continue reporting on Ukraine despite being citizens of a country that invaded it.