December 29, 2022

The Case for Supporting Russian Civil Society, with Jamie Fly and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the media environment inside Russia has become increasingly restricted. This represents the acceleration of the Putin regime’s crackdown on the information space over the past several years, including through the targeting of journalists, activists, and news outlets. In this atmosphere, pushing back against efforts by the Kremlin to control the narrative is both more important and more difficult than ever. Two organizations that are continuing to do this work are Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time, which make use of online platforms and anticensorship tools to reach audiences inside Russia who are seeking reliable and trustworthy information. Jamie Fly, Andrey Shary, and Pavel Butorin join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss their work at RFE/RL and Current Time as well as the state of civil society in Russia more broadly.

▪ Jamie Fly is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RFE/RL.

▪ Andrey Shary is the director of RFE/RL's Russian Service, Radio Svoboda.

▪ Pavel Butorin is the Director of Current Time TV, a Russian language digital and TV network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with the Voice of America.

  • Commentary
    • Breaking Defense
    • January 6, 2025
    Tehran’s Proxies Are on the Back Foot. An Iran-Russia Defense Pact Could Revive Them.

    A renewed defense treaty between these two powers will render Iran’s web of proxies all the more dangerous by arming already destabilizing agents with more advanced weapons te...

    By Delaney Soliday & Shivane Anand

  • Commentary
    • Foreign Affairs
    • December 18, 2024
    Putin’s Point of No Return

    The United States and Europe must invest in resisting Russia now or pay a far greater cost later....

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Michael Kofman

  • Podcast
    • December 13, 2024
    What Can Europe do in Syria?

    After 54 years of brutal rule in Syria, the al-Assad family’s reign came to an end last week. Following 13 years of devastating civil war, which saw over a million refugees fl...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

  • Podcast
    • November 22, 2024
    Trump and the War in Ukraine with Michael Kofman and Robert Lee

    More than 1000 days into the War in Ukraine, questions about continued support for the Ukrainian effort and the prospect of a negotiated settlement in the months to come have ...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Rob Lee & Mike Kofman

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia