Russia will continue to be plagued by apathy until Putin departs.

Investigative reporter Roman Anin warns that if you remain indifferent and apathetic, there may come a time when someone will come to your doorstep, forcefully take your husband away, and within three days, send him to [Ukraine] where he will meet a tragic end. Anin emphasizes that this is the consequence people face when they show indifference towards their own destiny and the future of their nation.

The Moldova-born Russian is one of this year’s recipients of the Free Media Award from Germany’s Zeit Foundation. And this is only the latest in the string of accolades and awards for the 36-year-old, who is a member of multiple international investigative networks, including the team behind the Panama Papers investigation.

In Russia, Anin’s Important Stories (IStories.media) website first drew headlines in 2020 by looking into procurement of ventilation machines during the COVID pandemic. In the same year, they also published a report on one of the most sensitive topics in the country — apparent corruption linked to the family of Vladimir Putin. He was forced to leave Russia the following year.

While conversing with DW in Hamburg, Anin expresses that his Russian audience remains interested in understanding corruption at a higher level. However, he notes that overall, Russian society shows minimal concern towards this issue and has succumbed to apathy.

Russia’s corruption and ‘colossal misery’

Anin himself shows no sign of apathy. He moved to Russia as a teenager, studied journalism in Moscow, and in 2006 started working as a sports reporter with the Novaya Gazeta, a paper known for seeing several of its reporters killed under the Putin regime. In 2008, Anin was sent by Novaya Gazeta to cover the brief war between Russia and Georgia, when he joined the outlet’s investigative unit.

He held a position that gave him the opportunity to work on significant stories, such as tax fraud revealed by Sergei Magnitsky and corruption related to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Additionally, he conducted investigations into individuals associated with the highest ranks of the Putin regime, including Sergey Roldugin, a friend of Putin and a billionaire cellist, as well as Igor Sechin, the CEO of Rosneft. In 2016, Anin wrote an article about Sechin’s wife possessing a yacht valued at $100 million (€94 million). As a result, Sechin filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper and emerged as the victor.

Anin acknowledges that comprehending the extent of corruption within the Russian elite is challenging for many individuals.

“I cannot reword”

This disconnect is “nothing to marvel at — even the war was only a concern for a few people until the mobilization started and they started detaining husbands and brothers, sending them to the front with no training, where they simply got killed,” he added.

Peace in Ukraine as a starting point for Russia

The reporter suggests that ending the Ukraine war is just the initial phase in bringing about change in Russian society. He believes that it would require many years of engaging with the people to bring about reform in the country. This transformation would only occur after the passing of Putin and the group of individuals surrounding him, known as the “collective Putin,” who have held power for a long time.

Anin states that breaking the apathy under the Putin regime is extremely challenging. He believes that it is crucial to disclose the complete truth about the war, allowing people to understand the horrifying events that occurred over the past 30 years, which they silently witnessed. These atrocities were carried out with the people’s unquestioning support. Anin hopes that by revealing this truth, Russia may have a chance to overcome its apathy and embrace a new way of living.

In 2021, Anin was apprehended by Russian authorities and his residence in Moscow was searched, resulting in the confiscation of many of his possessions. The stated reason for his detention was his potential involvement as a witness in a privacy infringement case. His colleagues at Novaya Gazeta believed it to be a belated retaliation for his 2016 Sechin article. Both Anin and his media outlet, Important Stories, were classified as “foreign agents.” Anin is currently continuing his investigative work outside of Russia. Despite being officially deemed “undesirable” according to Russian legislation, Important Stories remains active and resilient, with the sharing or liking of their content online being considered illegal.

I apologize, but we have earned it.

According to Anin, he can still connect with his audience in Russia, evident from the high number of YouTube views. Even if all means of communication are eventually severed, Anin believes it would not be the most significant tragedy compared to others happening today.

Anin states that our objective is to inform individuals about the true events unfolding, the real nature of the government, and the actual situation in Ukraine. We aim to expose the criminality of this war and shed light on how the Russian authorities disregard the lives of their own people, callously sending them to their deaths in large numbers.

“The fate of the individuals lies in their own hands. If the citizens of Russia are unwilling to embrace change or seek the truth, there is little we can do to intervene.”

Anin states that he has never encountered any lack of trust from his Ukrainian colleagues when it comes to the perception of Russians in relation to the war. However, he also mentions that he would not take offense if he were to face any insults.

“I cannot reword”

I am unable to reword the given text as it is a name.