Peter Ruzavin
Russian journalist and Ukrainian National Guard soldier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Ruzavin (Russian: Пётр Петрович Рузавин; born June 5, 1991) is a Russian journalist and soldier serving in the 2nd Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard.
- Journalist
- soldier
Peter Ruzavin | |
|---|---|
Пётр Петрович Рузавин | |
| Born | June 5, 1991 Moscow, Russia |
| Citizenship | Russian |
| Education | Moscow State University (2013) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Known for | Reporting on Russo-Ukrainian war; serving as drone operator with 2nd Khartia Corps (Ukraine) |
| Spouse | Nataliya Gumenyuk (m. 2017)[1] |
| Awards | Redkollegia prize (2022) |
Early life and education
Ruzavin was born in Russia and grew up in Moscow.[2]
Career
Television and investigative journalism
Ruzavin began his journalism career at the age of 18 as a reporter and TV Host at TV Rain.[2]
He contributed to Meduza, Projekt, Mediazona, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, with his focus on Russian prisoners, protests, and critique of the Russian government.[3]
On 19 May 2014, he was detained by "Crimean self-defence" forces while reporting on the Russian occupation of Crimea for TV Rain and subjected to violence before being released.[4]
He held two fellowships at Institute for Human Sciences in 2022 and 2023.[5]
Reporting from Russo-Ukrainian War
In February 2022, after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he was one of few Russian journalists permanently based in Ukraine.[3]
He conducted interviews with Russian prisoners of war in Ukrainian captivity.[5]
In 2022, he wrote a number of field reports for Mediazona.[6] His reporting on Kupiansk won the Redkollegia Prize and was shortlisted for the Journalism as a Profession awards.[7][8]
He produced a podcast with Nataliya Gumenyuk covering the first months after the full-scale invasion,[2] and launched a telegram channel collecting images of antiwar actions across Russia.[9]
Military service
According to Ruzavin, he questioned the effectiveness of his journalism, and decided to enlist in 2023. He wanted to choose a Ukrainian Brigade rather than a separate unit for foreigners.[2]
In May 2024, he joined the 13th Khartiia Brigade, 2nd Corps, National Guard of Ukraine as a drone operator.[3][10]
In Summer 2024, Ruzavin was injured, sustaining a leg wound from an explosion, while a fellow soldier was seriously wounded (neck and head) in the same incident. According to M. Gessen, he returned to service within weeks and received a medal for the incident.[2]
Personal life
In August 2017, Ruzavin was married to Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk.[1] [11]