Journalism
saves lives
In times of war, peopleʼs lives often depend on access to reliable information. Meduza is a trusted news source for millions of readers. Help us continue our mission.
Dear readers!
For eight years, Meduza has delivered reliable information about Russia and the rest of the world. Our reporting has become vital for millions of people in Russia, Ukraine, and beyond.
The Kremlin is only increasing its pressure on our work. In just the last 18 months, the Russian authorities labeled us “foreign agents,” our journalists had to flee the country in the face of criminal prosecution, and we lost our income streams — twice. And then the government tried to block our website.
But the Putin regime has failed:
- Meduza.io: 9,000,000 readers, every month
- Telegram: 1,300,000 subscribers
- Instagram: 1,000,000 followers
- Twitter: 1,500,000 followers
- iOS and Android: 1,500,000 downloads
- YouTube: 500,000 subscribers
And this isn’t even counting the listeners and readers who consume our best-in-class podcasts and newsletters.
Most of our audience is still in Russia. With your support, we can simply ignore the Kremlin's censorship attempts.
Just how are we reaching people inside Russia? We use a mix of high-end and honestly quite old-school techniques, including censorship-circumventing tech in our apps, publishing on multiple platforms (including those still accessible in Russia), and we’re even working in PDFs. Yes, our readers can save portable versions of the articles they want to share; they can even print them out. In fact, PDFs present an opportunity to spread vital information among readers’ friends and relatives.
Millions of people inside Russia read Meduza but have virtually zero options to support our work. Now that transferring money from Russia to Europe is impossible, Meduza’s journalism is feasible only with the support of our international audience.
And we have something to offer our international audience, too! Meet Meduza in English. Breaking news from Russia and Ukraine, carefully packaged feature stories, a visually stunning Instagram feed, daily and weekly newsletters, a podcast, and more.
Our latest product is called The Beet: once a week, subscribers receive a feature story, report, or essay about Central or Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, or Central Asia. The Beet's editor, Eilish Hart, commissions stories from freelance journalists and interviews experts about the society, politics, and culture in these often-underreported regions without centering Moscow, the “West,” or passing trends.
We are working hard to help millions. You can join us on this mission.
Sincerely yours,
Meduza
Our goal
33,000 supporters
Recurring donations help the most, but you always can send us one-time donations, too.
You can also support us with , , and PayPal .
Please consider sharing on social media that you’ve donated. When it comes to convincing your friends and followers to support Meduza, you’re the best advocate there is.
How can I cancel my subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time. Just email us at [email protected]. Your subscription will be cancelled within 24 hours. You can also contact the Stripe Payment System at [email protected] in case you have any further questions.
Frequently asked questions
What if I want to change the payment amount or billing date?
No problem! Just email us at the same address: [email protected]. You should also email us if you get a new credit card and want to update your billing information.
Can you send me the paperwork for a tax credit?
Unfortunately, we can’t. We are registered as a commercial media company (SIA Medusa Project), not as an NGO or charitable organization.
Is it safe to share my bank card details with Meduza?
We do not store any bank account or payment data on our servers. All debit transactions are encrypted and processed through the secure and reliable payment service “Stripe.” In addition, our crowdfunding page doesn’t have any of the scripts that are used on the rest of Meduza’s website — it’s not even connected to Google Analytics
Will my email address get leaked?
No. Meduza won’t store your email address; it will only be registered in the secure payment system.
Why is supporting Meduza so important right now?
The Kremlin has forced many independent media outlets to close, while the rest are no longer covering the war in Ukraine. The authorities have destroyed Russia’s media landscape in just ten days. Only a handful of publications have refused to comply with the demands of the Russian authorities and continue to do their work despite the risks. Meduza is the only major publication among them.
Why didn’t the Russian authorities just shut down Meduza?
Well, they tried. Since May 2021, Meduza’s been labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian government, which has also tried to block our website locally and close down our channels on social media. We were forced to evacuate our bureau in Russia, as our employees there were at risk of criminal prosecution for reporting basic facts about the invasion of Ukraine. We’ve survived because Meduza was always headquartered outside Russia precisely because of the authorities’ hostility to independent journalism. And now we must seek financial support outside of Russia, as well.
Can people from Russia still read Meduza?
Yes. Despite the fact that our website has been blocked, we’ve managed to retain most of our audience there. Russian Internet users are getting used to using VPN services to access blocked websites (it’s not just Meduza — even Twitter and Facebook are officially blocked). And our audience on social media and other platforms has grown significantly since the February 2022 invasion.
Why should I contribute to Meduza?
Your contribution fuels our work to keep our millions of readers informed about Russia and its actions in the war. Together, we will make Kremlin propaganda as ineffective as possible, helping the chances of a sooner peace.
Also, thanks to your support, there exists Meduza in English, which connects a global audience to our journalists’ most important news coverage and analysis.
What else can I do?
Besides donating, we ask our readers to spread the word about Meduza. You can share links to our English-language stories, encourage your friends to sign up for our daily newsletter, and recommend our podcast, The Naked Pravda. You can also follow Meduza on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you know someone in Russia, make sure they know how to access Meduza. All the information about that process is available in this Google Doc. Anyone can also follow us on Telegram.
If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, you can contact us here: [email protected].