PROTAGONISTA: Anna Babinets | Thousands of Documents at the Bottom of a Lake, part 2

Описание: Ukrainian journalist Anna Babinets revealed how former President Viktor Yanukovych spent billions in public money on a residence with a sauna, diamonds in the elevator, and an ostrich farm.

She helped launch the Yanukovych Leaks project, searched the Panama Papers for offshore structures of former President Petro Poroshenko—and in the Pandora Papers, she stumbled upon companies of the current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected to oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi.

After the start of the Russian invasion, Anna Babinets prepared her newsroom of investigative journalists at Slidstvo.Infofor work in war conditions. People slept in the office, cats ran among the sleeping bags, and reporters went out into the field immediately after military attacks. Five of her journalists now serve in the army—some as analysts, others in combat units.

In the interview with Pavla Holcová, Anna speaks not only about war journalism but also about the verbal attacks she experienced after publishing sensitive cases. She explains why, at a time when war is raging around them, the newsroom continues to deal with the topic of corruption and why silence harms more than the truth.

Anna Babinets
Anna Babinets is a Ukrainian investigative journalist, director and editor-in-chief of the Kyiv-based server Slidstvo.Info, and a regional editor for the international OCCRP network.

She focuses primarily on exposing corruption and, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has focused on investigating war crimes, identifying perpetrators, and documenting evidence for future court proceedings. As part of the international Panama Papers team, she published several texts about offshore companies connected to former President Petro Poroshenko.

She participated in the filming of the award-winning documentary film Killing Pavel about the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet. For her work, she has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Courage in Journalism Award (IWMF).

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