The 64-year-old is now in France, where she will apply for political asylum. At a press conference in Paris, she thanks RSF and stated that the journey took two and a half weeks.
It was very tough.
Barabash, born in Kharkiv in the former Soviet Union, was arrested in February and risked up to ten years' imprisonment for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine. Last week, Russian state media reported that the reporter had fled her house arrest and was being sought by the police.
Russia has prosecuted tens of thousands of people for "discrediting" the country's army, since criticism of the military became illegal shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
