Mikhail Zygar — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Founding editor-in-chief of TV Rain, the first independent TV channel in Russia in 10 years (2010–2015)
Author of the book 'All the Kremlin's Men' (2017), a history of Putin's Russia
Served as a war correspondent for Kommersant, covering conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, and Kyrgyzstan
Reported from Uzbekistan's Andijan in May 2005, the only international journalist to do so
Worked as political editor and deputy editor-in-chief of Russky Newsweek (2009–2010)

Biography

Mikhail Viktorovich Zygar is a Russian-born journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He gained prominence as the founding editor-in-chief of the independent Russian news channel TV Rain, a position he held from 2010 to 2015. Under his leadership, TV Rain offered an alternative to state-controlled media by focusing on news content and providing a platform for opposition voices, notably covering the Moscow street protests in 2011 and 2012 and the Russo-Ukrainian war differently from official reports.