Reporting on Russia’s War in Ukraine: Stories from the Front

If you want to understand Russia’s war against Ukraine and the wider political and security issues surrounding it, you have to scratch beneath the surface, get close to the sources, find participants and witnesses, and rigorously test claims against evidence. Sometimes you have to travel much further afield than you expected, to the countries whose governments are helping Russia evade sanctions or where Russia is recruiting mercenaries, sourcing its materials, or spreading disinformation. Sometimes, you put your own life in danger to get the real story, because the story matters and knowing it can change the course of history. In this presentation, investigative journalist Simon Ostrovsky will share some of his experiences from the field, will walk the audience through some clips and outtakes from his recent groundbreaking work, and will explain the critical importance of investigative journalism to our ability to know, understand, and ultimately address some of today’s greatest challenges to European, transatlantic, and global security.

About the speaker:

Simon Ostrovsky is an award-wining journalist, documentary filmmaker, and PBS NewsHour Special Correspondent. His work combines on-the-ground reporting with investigations into war, authoritarianism, corruption, and sanctions. His coverage of Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion was recognized by the Overseas Press Club of America, the National Press Club, and the Religion News Association. When Ostrovsky was a producer of VICE news on HBO, the program won an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series, and his reporting for Russian Roulette on VICE received two Emmy nominations. His documentary Selfie Soldiers received a DuPont-Columbia Award and remains an example of how open-source evidence can be combined with traditional field reporting. He has also been nominated for awards for his documentaries and reporting on the fentanyl crisis in the United States and on North Korean labor camps, among others. Apart from his regular coverage for the PBS NewsHour, Ostrovsky is currently working on an independent documentary film on the persecution by Russia of Evangelical Christian communities in Ukraine called “See You in Heaven,” as well as regular reporting and analysis of current events on his Substack and YouTube channels.

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