Prague — The list of sacrifices that Alesya Marokhovskaya has made to keep reporting on Russia from exile runs long: her home, her country, family, friends, culture, safety. This month alone, Russian authorities searched the home of the journalist’s parents in the eastern port town of Magadan and opened a criminal case against Marokhovskaya for violating Russia’s foreign agent law. When she spoke with VOA in Prague this fall, Marokhovskaya searched for words to explain why the sacrifices are worth it. Eventually, she settled on the Russian people. “They’re poisoning Russians,” she said, explaining how she views Kremlin propaganda. “Information in our world is one of the most important things, and I am completely against manipulating people’s minds.” As editor-in-chief of the exiled Russian investigative outlet IStories, breaking through propaganda to bring ordinary Russians the truth is Marokhovskaya’s core focus. But in doing so, Marokhovskaya and her team face legal threats and surveillance, even while based in Prague. Marokhovskaya had not planned to leave Russia, even when Moscow declared the journalist a so-called foreign agent in 2021. Instead, the reporter followed the strict rules that accompany the designation. For months, she labeled all of her social media posts — even ones that were photos of her dog — as the work of a so-called foreign agent, and she submitted financial reports to the Justice Ministry...Read more