Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Stay up to date with Global Ties Detroit!
OUR NEWS
Read the latest on public diplomacy, international exchange, and the Global Ties community.
Russian journalists in exile visit Detroit
August 08, 2023
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Independent journalists from Russia have had to flee their country to report the truth 18 months since Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine started.
Among them is Maksim Kurnikov, who visited FOX 2 this week. He sat inside the studio as Amy Lange and Brandon Hudson anchored Live at 11 and gave us his take on what life was really like for journalists in Russia.
"We left Russia because all our media - most of our media was closed - we can't work in Russia," Kurnikov said.
A year and a half since Putin ordered his nation to invade Ukraine, censorship has taken over. So much so, they can't even call the invasion a war.
"Now, censorship in Russia is like a totalitarian country because you can't even say the word war. You can't call this war a war, you can go to prison for seven years," he said.
Kurnikov was the editor-in-chief of Echo Moscow and was on air when the government shut them down in March 2022. He and other journalists had to leave and now live in Berlin and is broadcasting from there. Had he stayed, he says life would be much different.
"In my case, I think I had two ways: one way is prison - and the second way is being mobilized. I'm an officer in the reserve so I think they could take me to the army and I don't want to invade Ukraine," Kurnikov said.
He and other journalists arrived in Detroit and are sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Moscow and hosted by Global Ties Detroit in partnership with the state department. The truth, they say, is a global search and so is the denial.
"We see it even in the U.S., many people to not want to know the truth. They want to hear something that will...prove that they are right. In Russia, it's the same. Many people do not want to hear the truth, they want to hide in the information that makes their life comfortable," he said. "We see it and that was rather disappointing for us and I think very dangerous for democracy all over the world."
He says this is a cautionary tale that our countries share in the war on truth and information.
Access the full FOX 2 article here: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/russian-journalists-in-exile-visit-detroit
ARCHIVES
May, 2026
April, 2026
March, 2026
January, 2026
November, 2025
July, 2025
May, 2025
April, 2025
November, 2024
September, 2024
August, 2024
July, 2024
April, 2024
March, 2024
January, 2024
December, 2023
November, 2023
October, 2023
September, 2023
August, 2023
July, 2023
June, 2023
May, 2023
March, 2023
January, 2023
December, 2022
November, 2022
October, 2022
June, 2022
May, 2022
April, 2022
February, 2022
January, 2022
December, 2021
November, 2021
October, 2021
June, 2021
May, 2021
March, 2021
February, 2021
January, 2021
OFFER A HOMESTAY
By opening your home to international visitors, you are given the opportunity to experience a new culture and build lasting friendships.
Contact Us Now
VOLUNTEER
From hosting dinners in your home to accompanying delegations or planning events, there are many ways to help.
Contact Us Now
