ABSTRACT

This chapter presents fieldwork in Russia in May 2014, and subsequent developments up until the point of submission of the manuscript in December 2017. It is organised around four key headings: Ethnographic Observations and the Coverage of Ukraine; Common Challenges – threats, intimidation, and harassment, with a particular focus on the recent attempted murder of Tatyana Felgengauer; Soul-Searching or Navel-Gazing? Internal Battles and the Editor-in-Chief's Role; and the Future – Journalists' Perceptions of the Role They Play in Russian Society. Ekho Moskvy journalist was forced to flee the country earlier in the year after a series of intimidations such as an attempted arson attack on her car and a canister of faeces thrown over her in central Moscow. The history of Ekho Moskvy and the outline of the range of current challenges, practices, and controversies show that there was general consensus among the radio station's founders, current editor-in-chief, and journalists about the role Ekho Moskvy should play in Russian society.