Elena Milashina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elena Milashina
|
|
|---|---|
Milashina in 2013
|
|
| Born | 1977 (age 47–48) |
| Occupation | Journalist, human rights defender, writer, investigative journalist |
| Awards |
|
Elena Valeryevna Milashina (Russian: Елена Валерьевна Милашина; born in 1977) is a brave Russian investigative journalist who works for Novaya Gazeta. An investigative journalist looks into important stories to uncover facts and truth, often about difficult topics. Elena has won many awards for her important work.
Throughout her career, Elena has faced threats and attacks because of her reporting. In 2023, she was badly hurt while covering a court case in Chechnya, a region in Russia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elena Milashina was born in 1977. When she was a teenager, around 1994–95, she took part in a special student exchange program called FLEX. This program helped her to later attend Moscow State University, a well-known university in Russia.
What Does a Journalist Do?
In 1997, while she was still studying, Elena Milashina started working as a reporter for Novaya Gazeta. This is a newspaper known for its independent reporting. One of her teachers and role models was Anna Politkovskaya, another famous journalist. Elena finished her studies at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University in 2001.
Elena's Important Investigations
Elena Milashina focuses on stories about corruption and human rights issues. She often reports on problems in the North Caucasus region of Russia, especially in Chechnya.
- She investigated the terrible 2004 Beslan school siege, where many people were held hostage.
- She also looked into the 2006 assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, her mentor.
- Elena reported on the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia.
- She investigated the 2009 kidnapping and murder of Natalya Estemirova, another human rights worker.
- She has also reported on serious issues like the anti-gay purges in Chechnya, where people were targeted because of their sexual orientation.
Elena continued the important investigations that her colleague Anna Politkovskaya had started. She also carried out her own independent investigations into events happening in the North Caucasus.
Facing Challenges and Dangers
Because of her brave reporting, Elena Milashina has been attacked and threatened many times.
Attacks in Moscow and Chechnya
- In 2012, Elena and a friend were attacked by two unknown people in Moscow.
- In 2020, while visiting Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Elena and a lawyer were attacked and beaten. This happened in a hotel lobby.
- In 2022, her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, reported that Elena had to leave Russia for a while because of threats against her safety.
Attack in 2023
In July 2023, Elena Milashina and a lawyer named Alexander Nemov were attacked in Chechnya. Elena was covering a court case at the time. The attackers hurt them both badly, and they had to go to the hospital. The attackers also shaved Elena's head and put green dye on it. They told her to leave Chechnya and stop writing articles.
Elena and Alexander were flown to Moscow for medical care. Elena was treated for a brain injury, several broken bones in her hands, and many bruises. Despite these dangers, Elena continues her important work to bring truth to light.
Awards and Recognitions
Elena Milashina has received many awards for her courageous journalism:
- 2001: She won the Golden Pen of Russia award for her investigative reports about the Russian submarine Kursk disaster.
- 2009: She received the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism from Human Rights Watch.
- 2009-2010: She was a Knight-Wallace Fellow for Journalists.
- 2013: She was honored with the International Women of Courage Award.
- 2016: She won a Free Media Award.
See also
In Spanish: Elena Milashina para niños
