Award-winning Russian journalist Pavel Kanygin recently arrived in the Netherlands with only one suitcase. Works at independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta and spent years investigating the Russian involvement in the downing of flight MH17. He tells his story to NU.nl.
Kanygin takes some getting used to (pictured left): He recently moved with his wife and four-year-old daughter to a country where he can say and do anything. “I now feel at home in the Netherlands,” she says. “I have been coming here for years to follow the MH17 trial, I know the journalists and other people there. I have a net here.” He has just started the asylum procedure. Kanygin recently applied for asylum in Ter Apel. After six days in the tent, he was picked up by RTL reporter and friend Olaf Koens (see photo).
When war broke out on February 24, large numbers of people took to the streets in Moscow to protest. Kanygin posted messages on Facebook. He was afraid of war and deeply ashamed. Despite being a renowned journalist, the Russian occupation came unexpectedly to him. Looking back, he calls it “shock” and “nightmare”. Already the next day, a police officer visited the apartment complex where he lived, but Kanygin was not at home at the time. “They wanted to scare us.
Who is Pavel Kanygin?
- In recent years, he worked for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, led by Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov.
- The newspaper was recently forced to close under pressure from the Kremlin.
- Kanygin conducted extensive research into MH17.
- For this he won the very prestigious Andrei Sakharov journalist prize.
The “witch hunt” of those who criticize the regime
Since March 6, journalists have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for describing the situation in Ukraine as “war”. Kanygin: “The witch hunt has begun for anyone who criticizes the regime.”
The oppressive atmosphere in Russia has worsened since the invasion, he says. Friends left en masse, others were arrested. “Until recently, Russia was more or less a tolerable autocracy,” he says. “But now people are being arrested on a large scale. It is starting to look more and more like a Stalinist dictatorship.”
On March 28, editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov . closed Novaja Gazeta† He didn’t want to wait for the government to shut down the newspaper. As a result, Novaja Gazeta license. The hope is that the magazine will be published again soon.
“Muratov is hopeful, he has to do it. He is still one of the few independent journalists in Moscow and continues to express himself, for example on YouTube. He is brave, but I am also worried about him.” Kanygin fears it will be a long time before the diary reappears. “The authorities are happy that his critic is gone.”
Kidnapper threatened to shoot Kanygin
In May 2014, shortly after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Kanygin was working in Crimea. Novaja Gazeta Ukrainian war correspondent. He was kidnapped in broad daylight after publishing a report on the unfair referendum on the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. These areas fell into the hands of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Kanygin fell into the hands of a group of criminals. Those were anxious hours when one of the men threatened to shoot Kanygin in the finger with a gun if he didn’t hand over his phone and laptop. He was eventually released after a German journalist handed over his friend’s wedding ring, bank account and 1000 euros.
Six months later, Kanygin is persuaded by his editor to stop reporting the war. The incident happened after he narrowly escaped death on a tip-off trip to the locked-down town of Debaltseve. Together with a group of journalists, he decides to cross the border. There, people were in air-raid shelters for weeks without food or medicine.
bullets flew
The car was hit several times on the way. The driver was driving 140 kilometers per hour and leaned under the car. Kanygin says it’s deadly. Bullets flew everywhere. “It was insane, I was overwhelmed with adrenaline, I wanted to face death. After returning, I argued with my friends and colleagues. It wasn’t good. friend After spending a year at Harvard University in Boston, I calmed down.”
Initially, Kanygin had little desire to investigate the MH17 file. “But all the hard work paid off, I was the only one in Russia who continued to follow this important dossier.” Again Kanygin had to travel to eastern Ukraine, this time to investigate the disaster there. And he was arrested again, this time by the secret service of the Donetsk Republic. Beaten and interrogated, his interrogators accused him of working for the CIA and British intelligence agency MI6. He escaped unharmed.
Kanygin continues on YouTube and podcasts
Since the newspaper is no longer in production, Kanygin is active on YouTube, which is still accessible in Russia. He also does a podcast. “These are channels through which Russians can still absorb independent information today.”
He had already opened a YouTube channel (in Russian) in Moscow. The co-host fled to Uzbekistan, the technicians went to Israel. Now they always do the same program with each other from different locations. “The regime in Russia sees any journalist doing their job and trying to silence them as a threat,” he said. “But one thing is certain: I will continue.”
Source: NU
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
