They need only a haven, Wi-Fi and a thirst to tell the truth. Europe should let them do their jobs
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskMr Putin’s falsehoods, like his tanks, do not stop at Russia’s borders. Ever since he decided that liberal democracy was his enemy, liberal democracies have been under attack. Russian trolls and foreign-language state media have pumped out a flood of outrageous and contradictory lies to Western audiences, hoping to undermine public confidence that anyone is telling the truth.
At present many such journalists and anti-war activists find it hard to enter Europe legally or remain there. Many Russian exiles therefore congregate in countries such as Georgia and Armenia, which do not require them to have visas. Russian activists who manage to enter Europe are typically treated as asylum-seekers, and have their freedom to move and work restricted.
This is daft. The European Union has a common interest in countering the Kremlin’s disinformation. It should adopt a common policy giving exiled Russian activists permission to remain, freedom to travel and peace of mind to concentrate on their work, demand for which has never been more intense. For years, the Russian public showed little interest in independent journalism, leaving unrebutted Kremlin claptrap as by far the dominant source of news.
The Russian media-in-exile are, unsurprisingly, short of cash. This is not just because of Kremlin crackdowns; it is also because of Western actions. Tech platforms like YouTube andFacebook do not allow advertising in Russia. As about two-thirds of their audiences are there, this deprives dissident media of critical revenue . Pro-Kremlin media are backed by the regime and use Russian platforms that censor independent news.
The struggle to help Ukraine defend itself and Russia to reform itself will be long and hard. Independent Russian journalists have an essential role to play, and supporting them is ridiculously cheap. They need only a haven, Wi-Fi and a thirst to tell the truth. Let them do their jobs.This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline"Let them shout"
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