We need your help An urgent appeal from the Meduza team

This article’s message, in brief: Meduza is in trouble — we’re running out of funding. We’ve already cut salaries and laid off staff, but it’s not enough. Unless we grow our base of monthly supporters from 9,000 to 15,000, Meduza as you know it won’t survive. If you live outside of Russia, please help us keep going.

Dear Meduza in English readers,

We wouldn’t be publishing this message if it wasn’t urgent, so please read it all the way to the end. 

We know that many of you have been following Meduza’s work for many years. All this time, our newsroom has aimed to bring you trustworthy reporting on Russia, Ukraine, and the wider region, offering deep knowledge that you won’t find in the mainstream international press. And we couldn’t be more grateful to you for putting your trust in us. 

In times of war and polarization, acting as a bridge between different audiences is important to us. But it’s even more important that we continue serving those who read our work in Russian. Meduza remains the largest independent Russian-language media outlet operating today. Despite being blocked and outlawed in Russia, we continue to reach millions of people inside the country. Many of our readers start and end their day with us, turning to Meduza not only for news coverage but also for the support they need to get through dark and desperate times. 

Many years ago, we decided that Meduza should be free to read. And we have no right to put up a paywall for people who are already struggling to access reliable information. We believe in journalism because we know that information saves lives. That’s why we have a duty to provide our readers with the best possible reporting, free of charge. 

That said, great journalism costs money — and the Kremlin has destroyed our business model time and again. By declaring Meduza illegal, they’ve scared away our advertisers and made donating to our crowdfunding campaign a criminal offense. We can’t ask our readers living in Putin’s Russia to risk getting thrown in prison. And so, we rely on Russians living abroad and international readers, like you. 

In recent years, support from international organizations has also supplemented our crowdfunding efforts. Through a combination of the two, we’ve learned to get by. However, the demise of USAID has shaken the global infrastructure that sustains the nonprofit sector — and that has hit Meduza hard. 

That’s why we’re turning to you once again. Right now, 9,000 people support our newsroom every month, and we need to almost double that number to survive. Without the help of at least 15,000 supporters, Meduza as you know it will cease to exist. But if you come through, you know we’ll keep working for you.

Meduza continues operating despite relentless pressure from the Kremlin. Our journalists face persecution, poisoning, and the threat of imprisonment. Our website remains blocked and our newsroom outlawed. While we face criminal prosecution in absentia, our loved ones in Russia contend with intimidation. 

To keep going, we urgently need your help. Losing Meduza would be a catastrophe for our millions of readers — and a victory for Vladimir Putin. 

Please help us persevere.