Russian journalist joins CIS

The Center is pleased to welcome Lilia Yapparova, an exiled Russian journalist and correspondent for Meduza, as a 2026 research fellow.

Beginning in early 2026, Yapparova will be based at CIS, while also working with The Boston Globe. At the end of the spring semester at MIT, she will transition to The New York Times. During her time at MIT, she will engage with faculty, students, and researchers while continuing her reporting on human rights and conflict.

Throughout her 11-year journalism career, Yapparova has documented Russia’s persecution of marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQI+ populations, as well as the country’s war on Ukraine. She was the only Russian journalist reporting from Kramatorsk at the start of the invasion and one of the few journalists to report from inside occupied Chernihiv. In 2022, she led Meduza’s investigations into civilian killings in Bucha and Bohdanivka.

Yapparova currently lives in exile in Latvia following a sweeping media crackdown in Russia. Despite censorship and threats, she continues to investigate alleged war crimes and government corruption.