"The Special Military Operation" on Russia's Internet

Week before last, there were more independent media voices and less online censorship in Russia than many of us in the West might have imagined. But with every passing day that Russian troops are in Ukraine, it becomes harder for their friends and family back home to access and share independent news of what is happening. The Kremlin has cracked down hard on dissent, the remnants of a free press, and social media platforms it does not control.

How does the Russian public navigate between the unavoidable official story of state-backed media, a yearning for more independent information, and the ongoing erosion of spaces (even if just digital ones) where people can congregate to share gossip, grouse, or even organize? And how will the astonishing events of the past two weeks permanently alter the Russian internet? 
 

Speakers
 

Taisia Bekbulatova
Editor in Chief, Holod Media
 

Yana Pashaeva
Freelance journalist based in Moscow
2020-2021 Humphrey Fellow at Cronkite School of Journalism, ASU
 

Ben Dalton
Fellow, Future Frontlines Program, New America
 

Moderator:
 

Andrés Martinez
Editorial Director, Future Tense
Professor of Practice, Cronkite School of Journalism, ASU