Key points
- 01 Zhanna Agalakova resigned from Russian state television in 2022 and publicly returned her state medals to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- 02 She warns that the return of censorship in Russia is suicidal for any country, and that very few journalists chose to follow her example.
- 03 She sees today's young people as tomorrow's democratic activists, valuing their openness, respect for different opinions and sense of responsibility.
The abolition of state censorship in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1990. I was still a student at the time. That was the moment when my future profession truly gained meaning. Several years later, in February 2022, when the active phase of the war in Ukraine began, but journalists were forbidden to use the word war, I resigned from my job. At the time, I was a foreign correspondent in Paris for a pro-Putin Russian TV channel. I openly spoke out against the war and sent my medals (the Order For Merit to the Fatherland and the Order of Friendship) back to the Kremlin with a note: Mister President, you are leading the country into the abyss.
The truth is the most powerful weapon. I am painfully aware that very few journalists followed my example. Censorship has returned to Russia in full force. It is suicidal for any country.
Political freedom is the foundation of a healthy society, a society that has a future.
« The truth is the most powerful weapon. I am painfully aware that very few journalists followed my example. »
Today's young people are sensitive to injustice and inequality. They are not afraid to discuss problems openly and honestly. They respect different opinions and take responsibility for the environment. Young people like my daughter, for example. I'm very proud of her.
Inspiring standpoints by Zhanna Agalakova / Interviewed by Fondemos.
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