Ivan Kolpakov

Ivan Kolpakov is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Meduza, the largest independent Russian publication. It operates in exile from Riga, Latvia. In April 2021 Russian authorities labeled Meduza as a ‘foreign agent’ and in March 2022 blocked the website. Both actions were made to destroy the newsroom. However, Meduza keeps resisting. Also, it managed to save the majority of its audience due to its diverse and technologically advanced infrastructure. Kolpakov was one of four Russian journalists who interviewed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in March 2022.