Russian activist and publisher Leonid Zilberg fled his home country in September 2022. He is the founder of the Russian independent news platform 7x7, a news website that gives ethnic minorities in Russia a voice, and joined the rest of his team in Vilnius, Lithuania, to coordinate operations from there and ensure his business would continue to flourish. Zilberg is also a founding member of Memorial, the human-rights organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. In 2019, Zilberg and his team received a Free Media Award from DIE ZEIT Foundation and the Fritt Ord Foundation, and DIE ZEIT, ZEIT ONLINE and Handelsblatt Media Group continue to support 7x7, financially and with journalistic cooperation.
Business Spotlight spoke to Zilberg to find out more about the challenges of working in exile, his activism in Russia and how he sees his business changing over time.
Why did you start 7x7?
It was founded in 2010. At that time, a lot of independent media outlets were closed down by the authorities. I am not a journalist, nor am I a publisher, but I was always involved in social activism, and I had many friends who worked for newspapers. They asked me to help them. It was the era of blogs and, as such, we didn't start with a newspaper — we created a website. In the beginning, it was only available in a small region, the Komi Republic [in north-western Russia]. I say small, but it's a territory roughly the size of Spain, with a population of just 800,000.
It was a success, and we started to launch in other territories. Our modus operandi is to be present in the region and meet the locals, so that we can report on the ground. Slowly, we had to look for grants to support our writers. Now, we cover around 35 different regions in Russia and, often, we are the only source of independent media in those areas. We have around 20 to 25 full-time staff in Russia and a similar number outside of the country.
How did your experience with Memorial influence your way of working?
I was one of the founders of Memorial back in 1989. We expanded to different regions with Memorial activities, and I met Andrei Sakharov [one of the key members of Memorial, Nobel laureate] and we spoke about Memorial's presence in several different regions and the various activities there. At 7x7, we, too, have successfully expanded into several different regions.
Is it difficult for people to access 7x7 nowadays?
Our website is blocked, but Telegram is very important for us, as are TikTok and YouTube. If you really want to know or learn something, there are ways to do so. Many people use VPNs [virtual private networks] in Russia, and Telegram is very popular now. There is a lot of information available on social media, but little verified information from independent media, and in many regions, we are the only verified source. What we're doing is necessary, and I am very proud of it.
How is 7x7 adapting because of the war?
I think that, more and more, we will become an agency for other media outlets. It is difficult to maintain networks in Russia, but we have experience in this area. We are established in regions with small ethnic groups and have worked to give these groups a voice.
What were the challenges of moving your business to Lithuania?
It actually wasn't difficult for us because we already had connections here. We organize annual meetings for our donors in Lithuania, and so we had an established network. We had always worked in a decentralized manner, across huge regions in Russia, and so that aspect wasn't a challenge for us either. The biggest difficulty has been managing our budget: in Europe, we need a bigger budget simply because living costs are more expensive.
What is your opinion of businesses that refuse to leave Russia?
Some businesses claim it is impossible to leave. I think they are prevaricating. In my experience, the most moral way of conducting business is the most profitable, but not everyone thinks this way.
You left Russia in 2022 — do you think you will ever return?
I joined the rest of the team in Vilnius, Lithuania, in September 2022, but even now, I return to Russia sometimes. It might be dangerous, but I think if you call yourself a Russian journalist or a Russian activist, you must visit. It's an active decision. 7x7 is not just a media platform; we have also always been involved in social projects offline, and we continue to do so. And, of course, I want to return to Russia in the long run. I want to be a part of the process of change.
Russian journalists in exile
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many independent Russian media outlets have left Russia, moving to countries such as Latvia, Israel and Turkey. As of January 2023, at least 1,000 journalists had fled, many of whom are now working in exile.
Between the end of February 2022 and April 2022, Latvia issued around 260 visas to journalists fleeing Russia. "We see Riga as a strategic location from which we can hear what Russians think, including those Russians that are in exile," Elmārs Svekis, office head at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, told Euronews. It is an EU country in which Russian is widely spoken.
One of the biggest independent Russian news sources, Meduza, was already in Latvia. Meduza was founded in Riga in 2014 and, in 2021, Russia named it a "foreign agent". In early 2023, Russia announced that the outlet was an "undesirable organization". This declaration threatens sources, donors and journalists with fines or prosecution if they continue to work with Meduza. ZEIT, ZEIT ONLINE and Handelsblatt Media Group also support Meduza.
Journalists working in exile believe it is important to stay connected to life in Russia. "It would be the worst thing if we become like the people abroad who don't understand anything about the situation in Russia, but tell people about the situation in Russia," Tikhon Dzyadko, editor-in-chief of TV Rain, a Russian news outlet now based in the Netherlands, told the BBC.