Five years ago her colleague, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered. This week Elena Milashina is in the Netherlands to commemorate this champion of human rights. Aware that the same fate could befall her, Milashina carries on Politkovskya’s work. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m a journalist. It’s my job.”
Like Politkovskaja, Milashina works for Novaya Gazeta, the largest independent newspaper in Russia. Her country is ruled by unchecked lawlessness and corruption, she says. Milashina, too, is unsure of her life. Anna Politkovskaya’s murderers have never been brought to trial. And it’s not the only case involving a murdered journalist which hasn’t been resolved.
“Anna was the third person we lost and this was a tremendous loss. But the reaction caused such a peak all around the world that we were expecting that they would do something to investigate - which was stupid of us. But at least we hoped that there wouldn't follow any new murders.”
But instead, the situation has deteriorated over the years. Three other colleagues have been killed since Politkovskaya’s murder in 2006. They were all personal friends of Milashina. They all criticised the government.
Bleak Russian future
That Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has decided to put himself forward for the presidency signals a bleak outlook with little hope for the future, feels Milashina. She’ll continue her work, but is fully aware of the limited impact of her paper.
“Freedom of speech - I can't say it's non-existent in Russia. But it's existing in a sort of reserve. Seventy percent of the Russian population gets information from watching TV. And what my TV colleagues do is working for the government. It's not journalism, it's propaganda. So we try to give people the real information. Our audience is about three million people. It's a lot. But still not enough in Russia where 140 million people live.”
But there is a small light or two at the end of the tunnel. Novaya Gazeta is free to publish whatever it wants, even though individual journalists are intimidated. The government uses the paper to show the world that democracy and free speech are upheld in Russian society, thinks Milashina.
Tides are turning
At times, the paper has a success story and can sway public opinion, as in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The former oligarch has been behind bars since 2003, officially because of embezzlement, tax evasion and money laundering.
But it’s widely believed that his trial and imprisonment were the result of an orchestrated effort to destroy the tycoon because he publicly – and financially – supported the opposition when Putin was president.
While the Russian government did everything they could to blacken Khodorkovsky’s name, he remains innocent in the eyes of many Russians.
“That's why our work is important. Because, sooner or later, people will understand who the enemies of Russia are. Who the real enemies of the people are. What Putin and his friends are actually doing in reality. It's a slow process, but it's going on.”
Despite the black times she’s convinced Russia will go through upon Putin’s return as president, Milashina has an unshakeable faith in her country’s resilience.
“My hope is my country. I think all we are facing – and it’s the time I’m living in - a time of change. And we're taking one step towards democracy and a thousand steps back towards the Soviet Union. But we're still changing as a country.”
Which in turn gives Milashina the strength to persevere, working for the expansion of the “reserve of press freedom” in Russia.
(jn/rk)
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"And what my TV colleagues do is working for the government. It's not journalism, it's propaganda. So we try to give people the real information" - says Milashina.Are you telling the truth,Milashina?your "Novaya Gazeta" is available in every library at least in Moscow.The Moscow journalists of the RNW can check up my words.By the way,the Dutch journalists in Moscow must know the truth,why don't they refute Milashina's assertions?I guess,it's because just like Milashina herself they are not journalists either.All what Milashina says everyone can hear 24 hours a day on the pro-japanese radio "Eco of Moscow".By the way,there are lots of kgb-sts,just like Putin,working there.Of course,Milashina is quite aware that almost everything she says doesn't correspond to reality.Hence,she's not a journalist and she's a liar at that.
Milashina says:"...sooner or later, people will understand who the enemies of Russia are. Who the real enemies of the people are." Who then are "the enemies of Russia"?Putin and Medvedev alone?Or together with their kgb-fsb-police?OK,Putin and Medvedev,please,free us from those kgb-sts and drive all the ukrainians and other ethnic minorities from all force departments of Russia.I fully agree with that request.Why doesn't milashina write it on her "Novaya Gazeta"?
If "Novaya Gazeta" is "an island of freedom of speech" in Russia as it is stated here and publishes the Milashina's request:"Putin must go away",let it publish my request:"Valeria Novodvorskaya must be driven out of Russia and sent to her japan to work at Fukushima reactor together with burakumins (an "inferior" caste in japan counting 2-3 millions)".
Of course,Putin will not dare to drive Novodvorskaya out of Russia despite her pro-japanese activities.It's a bit laughable all that,an ordinary "journalist" Elena Milashina dares to force Putin who was twice elected President and then appointed Prime_Minister to step down whereas Putin has no power to drive Novodvorskaya out of Russia to japan.Obviously,Milashina has more power in Russia than Putin and Medvedev put together.
Elena Milashina is not a journalist at all.A journalist is who gives some objective information to his readers or listeners.Elena Milashina is just a political fighter paid by the enemies of the Putin-Medvedev regime.she writes and says everywhere:"PUTIN MUST GO AWAY".Why should he go away?Milashina and all other "dissidents" answer:"Because he served with the kgb".But Milashina's master Alexander Lebedev too served with the kgb,why doesn't he go away passing over his "Novaya Gazeta" to someone who didn't serve with secret services,army or police?It's all illusion that the power of the kgb-fsb and all other secret services and police over the Russian society increased with the Putin's arrival to power.All those kgb-mgb-fsk-fsb as well as gru(military intelligence),military and police did whatever they liked under Eltsyn,Gorbatchov and communist leaders.The situation in this respect is much the same as it was before.
Elena Milashina is a brave and intelligent lady. I am full of respect for her.
In soviet times an enormous percentage of kgb-gru as well as army and police officers and communist party's functionaries were of ukrainian descent.One can say that the ethnic ukrainian clans dominated all power and force departments of the soviet state.That situation was inherited by Russia from the ussr and now the ethnic ukrainians are largely present and dominant in the kgb-fsb,police and army.The present-day ukrain itself is a country of total sneaking.Every month thousands of ukrainians including professional agents of the ukrainian secret services come to Russia and to Moscow in particular forming criminal organisations and terrorizing ethnic Russians together with their fellow-tribesmen serving with the kgb-fsb-police.The so-called "russian dissidents" and "russian liberal media" make impudent ukrainian propaganda.
"Novaya Gazeta" as well as "Eco of Moscow","Grani.ru" etc. are NOT "islands" of freedom of speech in Russia.They are just instruments of propaganda.For example,Valeria Novodvorskaya,a former soviet dissident and at present an agent of the japanese secret services often speaks and writes on the above-mentioned media.Her pro-japanese and anti-Russian activities are obvious to accuse her of spying for japan and at least drive her out of Russia,but the Putin-Medvedev kgb-fsb-police regime doesn't dare to do that in order not anger the japanese.The ethnic ukrainians dominate in Russian media and russian-speaking internet insulting the Russian authorities all the time and scoffing at the Russian people.For example,the ukrainians bare-facedly justify the murder of the 19-y.o. Russian student Ivan Agafonov by a caucasian barbarian Ruslan Mirzaev and don't allow the ethnic Russians to express their opinion on that terrible crime in Russian media.And the Putin-Medvedev kgb-fsb-police regime is afraid to tackle them.
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