Karina Merkureva

Karina Merkureva

Karina Merkureva is a journalist and social media editor covering human rights, gender and health, and the social impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine. She previously worked on the social media team at Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Her reporting examines how government policies and conflict affect people’s bodies and everyday lives. She has covered women’s health in detention, access to gynecological care, endometriosis, reproductive pressure, and the experiences of people with HIV facing mobilization and life in Russia’s occupied territories. She has also reported on racism and discrimination affecting Indigenous communities in Russia and in exile.

Merkureva’s work has been recognized through fellowships, grants, and awards, including the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom’s Journalist-in-Residence program, the Journalists for Human Rights reporting grant, and Best of RFE/RL awards.

For Merkureva, the Alfred Friendly program was about more than developing journalistic skills and professional connections: “It was more about rediscovering a sense of belonging, forming friendships with fellow exiled journalists from around the world, and finding hope again.”