7. Sergei: ‘It’s my duty to keep telling Russians the truth’

After Russia’s first independent radio station was taken off air by the Kremlin, the journalists who worked there are finding ways to get round censorship of the war in Ukraine.

Sergei Buntman helped to found Echo of Moscow which for more than three decades provided an alternative to the news on Russian state media.

In the days following the invasion of Ukraine, his radio station and several other news organisations were forced to shut down for challenging the official narrative about the war.

Yet despite threats of violence and imprisonment, Sergei and some of his fellow Russian journalists are refusing to stay silent, and are finding new ways to make themselves heard.

They find themselves on the frontline of the information war that is being fought over Ukraine, alongside the military battle. And like the conflict on the ground, this fight also has real consequences for the people whose lives it touches.

Russia’s military assault has been accompanied by an onslaught of disinformation and propaganda from state media, trolls and influencers. With all sides seeking to capture and control the narrative, how do you tell what is fake and what is real?

In this podcast series, BBC disinformation reporter Marianna Spring investigates stories from Ukraine, Russia, and around the world, and hears from those caught up in the battle for the truth.

Producer: Ant Adeane

Editor: Ed Main