Five investigative journalism projects, including Team Navalny, release mobile app to bypass Russia's censors

The independent media outlets Proekt, iStories, The Insider, and Bellingcat, as well as jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny’s investigative team, have launched a new mobile app to publish their investigations in a format accessible to Russian readers. The app's name is Samizdat, which refers to the practice of self-publishing that helped spread prohibited literature during the Soviet era.

According to its developers, the app is protected from blockages by Russia’s federal censor, even without a VPN. The creators noted that the app itself does not have a single editorial policy or leadership body and that each team is responsible for its own content.

Samizdat is available on the App Store and Google Play. Samizdat’s creators also called for other independent journalists to join the project by contacting them by email. 

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