A new documentary captures the experiences of Russian journalists who have fled their homeland amid increasing repression and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The film chronicles their efforts to continue reporting from exile while confronting the personal and professional upheaval wrought by Russia’s shift toward authoritarianism.

Filmmaker Julia Loktev’s two-part series follows a group of dissident journalists dispersed across Europe and Asia after being targeted by the Russian government. The first installment was filmed in Moscow in late 2021 and early 2022 as authorities ramped up crackdowns on independent media, labeling reporters as “foreign agents” and imposing severe restrictions on press freedom. After the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many of the journalists escaped to countries including Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Israel, where visa policies allowed relatively easier entry.

The second part resumes mere days after the first concludes, tracing the journalists’ scattered lives as they navigate exile. Anna Nemzer is based in Tel Aviv, wrestling with conflicting feelings about residing in a country she has criticized. In Prague, Irina Dolinina and Alesya Morakhovskaya work alongside editor Roman Anin, who relocated there six months earlier. Istanbul hosts journalists such as Ksenia Mironova, Valeria Ratnikova, and Sonya Groysman. Meanwhile, Peter Ruzavin, a TV host married to Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk, remains in Kyiv but faces uncertainty about his future.

Central to the film are the journalists’ reflections on responsibility and the consequences of the war. Elena Kostyuchenko, who fled Ukraine fearing for her life, condemns the complacency she believes enabled Russia’s military aggression. She argues that a collective desire for personal comfort prevented Russians from opposing the invasion, which has since caused immense bloodshed. Despite their displacement, the journalists maintain a sense of duty to document the unfolding crisis, aware that their reporting may be a vital connection for those seeking truthful information.

The documentary highlights how quickly and thoroughly independent journalism has been stifled in Russia, with many newsrooms dismantled or censored. Several subjects express frustration at those colleagues and institutions who capitulated to government pressure after the war began. University curricula have been altered to exclude “liberal arts,” and some professors who left the country have been dismissed. At the same time, the older generation often rejects the journalists’ accounts, subscribing instead to state propaganda that denies the reality of the war.

Exile also exposes the journalists to hostility abroad. Nemzer notes difficulties securing housing in Georgia due to anti-Russian sentiment, even though she is an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. Their predicament underscores a broader dilemma: as critics of the Russian government, they face mistrust both at home and internationally.

The film also probes the psychological toll of their isolation. Disconnected from Russian society and bombarded by propaganda aimed at fostering helplessness, the journalists worry about the erosion of truth and public trust. Morakhovskaya suggests that government messaging seeks less to promote support and more to induce passivity by undermining belief in any reliable information.

While the documentary offers no definitive answers, it portrays its subjects as determined to continue their work despite immense obstacles. Some derive strength from the knowledge that their reporting reaches audiences who feel similarly alienated. Others hold onto hope of eventually returning to a Russia that may no longer exist in the form they once knew. Dolinina summarizes this loss poignantly: “We lost our homeland. But did it even exist in the form we imagined it?”