IStories founder Roman Anin stripped of Russian citizenship after Bucha reporting |
The revocation of Russian citizenship from investigative journalist Roman Anin marks a new and alarming escalation in the Kremlin’s war on independent journalism. Anin, the founder and former editor-in-chief of the investigative outlet IStories (Vazhnye Istorii), was stripped of his Russian citizenship following the publication of reports documenting the killing of Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops in the town of Bucha during the early months of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian authorities claim the move is legally justified. Yet the timing, legal rationale, and political context surrounding Anin’s case leave little doubt that this is a punitive act aimed at silencing reporting that contradicts the Kremlin’s official narrative of the war.
The Bucha killings became one of the most internationally documented episodes of alleged war crimes in the Ukraine conflict. In the spring of 2022, after Russian forces withdrew from the town near Kyiv, journalists and investigators uncovered evidence that civilians had been killed during the occupation. Russian authorities have consistently denied responsibility, branding such reporting as Western propaganda or outright fabrications.
IStories was among the outlets that investigated and published findings pointing to the involvement of Russian soldiers in the killings. For the Kremlin, such reporting crossed a red line.
A Russian court subsequently convicted Anin in absentia of “spreading fake news” about the Russian army – a criminal offense introduced shortly........