In 2026, Black Snow, the documentary directed by Alina Simone about my life and journalistic work in Kuzbass, was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award in the Best Documentary category.
It is a great honour for me that this story has received international recognition. I am grateful to the film's team and everyone who helped bring it to audiences. But today, I want to write about the people who have made it possible for me to continue my journey.
I dedicate my success to Germany, its people and the city of Essen. To my wonderful neighbours, my integration course teachers and the people I am learning German with.
This is my personal dedication and my expression of gratitude for the opportunity to live safely, raise my daughter, study and continue my work.
Germany Gave Us the Chance to Start Again
In Kuzbass, I worked as an independent journalist and human rights defender. I wrote about environmental problems, coal dust and the lives of people living near open-pit mines and industrial facilities. After threats and an attack, I had to leave Russia in great haste.
Being forced to leave changes so much. You leave your familiar life behind and find yourself in circumstances for which it is impossible to prepare in advance. You have to seek safety while also dealing with the most ordinary questions: where to live, how to care for your child, how to communicate with a doctor and what yet another letter says.
Germany gave my daughter and me protection. Here, we gained the opportunity to keep building our lives.
For me, that is the foundation of everything happening today. Because we are safe, I can study, work on my articles and research, and think about the future.
The film's nomination does not mean that all of life's difficulties are behind me. But it was an important recognition of a story I have lived. And the opportunity to continue my work here in Germany helps me write its next chapter.
That is why I want to dedicate this success to the country and the people who welcomed us.
Essen: The City of My New Life
Today, I live in Essen. My home, my classes, familiar routes and the people I am gradually getting to know are all here.
I want to thank this city and its residents in particular. For me, Essen means real, everyday life: this is where I study, deal with practical matters, work on my projects and come home.
I am especially grateful to my neighbours.
When you find yourself in another country, it matters enormously to feel that there are people nearby who do not see you as a stranger. My daughter and I were welcomed warmly, like family. That means a great deal to me.
This kind of welcome helps you settle in. Gradually, you begin to feel that you can make a home here, plan for the future and count on people's support.
My gratitude to Germany is also built on these everyday relationships. It has real faces — the people who live near us and bring warmth to our lives.
When I dedicate my success to Essen, these are the people I think of.
Thank You to My Teachers
I am currently attending integration courses and learning German.
It does not come easily to me. Sometimes I have to return to the same rule several times, take a sentence apart word by word and try again to understand why it is structured that way. There are classes after which I feel just how much I still have to learn.
But I keep going. I want to understand the country I live in better, speak more freely with people and manage everyday matters with greater confidence.
I am grateful to our integration course teachers for their work, their explanations and their patience. For giving us the opportunity to ask questions, make mistakes and try again.
Returning to the classroom as an adult is a special experience. You already have a profession, knowledge and a lifetime of experience, but in a new language you begin again with simple words. Sometimes it is difficult to express a thought that you could put into words effortlessly in your own language.
That is why the way you are taught, and the people who help you move forward, matter so much.
My teachers are among the people to whom I want to dedicate my success. Their work helps me become more independent in a new country, understand those around me better and find my voice in German.
The People I Learn With
I also want to thank the people who study alongside me.
Our class is international. We have different native languages, different life experiences and different stories. Right now, we share a common task: learning German and becoming more confident in our lives in this country.
Sometimes we still need translations, gestures or help from our phones to understand each other. As we learn to communicate, we also get to know one another.
For me, these encounters are an important part of life in Germany. Around me are people who are also learning a new language, facing difficulties and continuing their studies.
I want to include them in this dedication. Our conversations, our classes together and our attempts to understand each other are all part of my new life.
I Can Continue My Work
After being granted protection in Germany, I was able to continue my journalism.
Today, I work on environmental research, verify sources, write articles and build up my website. My work is published in Russian, English and German. I want the knowledge and observations I have gathered over years of work to be accessible to a wider readership.
There is still much for me to do. But already, I have the opportunity to work on what I consider important.
I can study documents, return to difficult questions, refine my conclusions and publish my findings. I can keep learning and seek new ways to be heard.
That means a great deal to me. Forced emigration did not cut my work short. Here, I am gradually finding the conditions and opportunities to continue it.
The international attention received by Black Snow was an important event. But my ability to work today also rests on ordinary life in Germany: a home, safety, education and the support of other people.
Gratitude and Honesty
I do not want to portray my life in Germany as free of difficulties. Integration takes time and effort. There are language barriers, practical concerns, unfamiliar documents and days when many things feel hard.
All of this is part of my experience. I can speak honestly about the difficulties and still be grateful.
Today, I live here, study, work on my projects and make plans. I am gaining new knowledge, meeting people and discovering opportunities. Little by little, I am becoming more confident in everyday life.
This journey is made up of small steps: understanding an explanation in class, handling a practical matter on my own, having a conversation or finishing another article.
These steps make up my new life. I value the opportunity to live it, and the people who help me move forward.
This Dedication Is for You
Black Snow tells the story of an important part of my life. But my story continues beyond the events shown in the film.
Today, it includes Germany, the city of Essen, my neighbours, my integration course teachers and the people I study with. It includes work, new knowledge and hope for the future.
I want this to be said as well.
If it were not for Germany, my daughter and I might have died. Saving a life is priceless.
Thank you for the protection, warmth, patience and support. For the opportunity to raise my daughter, study and continue the work that gives my life meaning.
For me, this dedication is a way of telling you how much you mean to me.