Andrei Soldatov - Journalism

Journalism

Andrei Soldatov graduated from Moscow State Social University, meanwhile renamed Russian State Social University, journalist department. In 1996 he started to work as correspondent of Segodnya newspaper. 1998-1999 - staff writer of Kompania journal.

In September 2000, then in Izvestia, he has opened with Irina Borogan and other colleagues the project Agentura.Ru. Since then he is editor and Irina Brogan his deputy editor of the Agentura.ru-project. 2002-2004 he was also chief of section of Versiya (weekly newspaper), in which he covered Moscow theater hostage crisis.

In April 2004, Andrei Soldatov started to make comments for radio Echo Moskvy as security expert. In July 2004, he joined weekly Moscow News as the secret services observer. He covered Beslan siege for Echo Moskvy and Moscow News. Since January 2006 he works for Novaya Gazeta.

He covered for Novaya Gazeta 2006 Lebanon War from Lebanon and tensions in West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestine).

Soldatov regularly makes comments on terrorism and intelligence issues for Vedomosti, Radio Free Europe and BBC. Since July 2008 he is columnist of The Moscow Times. Since 2010 Soldatov writes for Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs.

In June 2008 The Moscow Times has written in article "Journalist Enjoying A Security Monopoly"

" Agentura.ru has developed into an information and analytical hub, updated on a daily basis and covering developments related to security services in Russia and the former Soviet Union and terrorist groups worldwide. It also publishes articles on the history and practices of foreign security agencies and issues like media and legislative oversight of security services... Soldatov himself has emerged as a security expert whose insights and opinion are in high demand from the media and Western think tanks".

On November 25, 2008 Andrei Soldatov was the subject of a profile prepared by the DNI Open Source Center. “Soldatov has regularly highlighted the increasing influence of the special services in Russian government, reported on the security services’ efforts to limit journalistic freedoms, followed spy cases, interviewed defectors, and chronicled personnel appointments and reorganizations of the special services,” the OSC profile stated.