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Author
Irina Dolinina
IStories' investigative reporter
Irina Dolinina

I make investigations, data-driven reporting, and documentary films. I've been a reporter of ‘Important Stories’ (IStories) since its launch in 2020. Previously, I worked at the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. I graduated from the Higher School of Economics with a Bachelor's degree in Media Communications and a Master’s degree in Data Journalism.

You can contact me via email irina.dolinina@istories.media

Awards

Redkollegia Award for “The Troika Laundromat” (Meduza, OCCRP)
The 2020 Sigma Award for Best data-driven reporting for “The Troika Laundromat” (OCCRP)
Redkollegia Award for data-research into child abuse in Russian families (Novaya Gazeta)
Winner of the European Press Prize 2021 in the investigation category (Important Stories)
The Sigma Awards 2022 (Important Stories)
“Journalism as a Profession” Award for the documentary film “Refugees 2022” (Important Stories)
Redkollegia Award for #RussianCensorFiles investigation (Important Stories)

Author materials

News
Exclusive
Alleged Magnitsky Case Fraud Mastermind Tried in Absentia in France
This is the first investigation on Dmitry Klyuev’s activity to reach the trial stage
Alleged Magnitsky Case Fraud Mastermind Tried in Absentia in France
Stories
The Russian War Snuff Videos Industry: “Welcome to the Real Murders Channel”
Who makes money off videos of brutal war executions published on Telegram channels
17 March
Irina Dolinina, Aleksandr Atasuntsev
The Russian War Snuff Videos Industry: “Welcome to the Real Murders Channel”
Stories
“The Central African Republic Supports Trump”
A new leak unveils the scale of Wagner Group’s ex-staffers’ work in Africa and Latin America as well as Russian intelligence connections
14 February
Irina Dolinina
“The Central African Republic Supports Trump”
Stories
“They Aren’t Letting Us Go.” Russian Cadets Lured into Military Service with No Way Out
Russian cadets at military universities and academies say they are being deprived of the right to resign. At the same time, their military contracts are now permanent under Putin’s 2022 mobilization decree
29 October
Irina Dolinina, Aleksandr Atasuntsev
“They Aren’t Letting Us Go.” Russian Cadets Lured into Military Service with No Way Out
Stories
Sovcombank Co-owner Sergey Khotimsky Invested Millions of Dollars in U.S. Real Estate, and It Avoided Sanctions
An investigation by The Post and Courier, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and IStories
28 September
Irina Dolinina, John Dell'Osso
Sovcombank Co-owner Sergey Khotimsky Invested Millions of Dollars in U.S. Real Estate, and It Avoided Sanctions
Stories
Three Years of Mobilization: What One Region — and the Whole Russia — Has Endured
One in four was killed, went missing, or was wounded. IStories analyzed the full list of those mobilized from Tomsk Oblast and reports on what three years of mobilization have looked like through the lens of a single Russian region
19 September
Sonya Savina, Egor Feoktistov, Polina Uzhvak
Three Years of Mobilization: What One Region — and the Whole Russia — Has Endured
Stories
Deportation From the Occupation
Vladimir Putin has ordered residents of the occupied territories to legalize their status by September 10, or else they will be deported. In reality, Ukrainians whom the occupation authorities have deemed a “security threat” have long been expelled from their homes and abandoned at the border with Georgia. Here are their stories
23 May
Rina Nikolaeva, Polina Uzhvak, Irina Dolinina
Deportation From the Occupation
Stories
Ghost Detainees. The Story of Viktoriia Roshchyna
Journalists from six countries have united to investigate the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna. In the summer of 2023, she organized a trip to the territories occupied by Russia to locate places where abducted Ukrainians were being held and disappeared herself. A year and a half later, her body was repatriated with signs of torture
29 April
Polina Uzhvak, Irina Dolinina, Rina Nikolaeva
Ghost Detainees. The Story of Viktoriia Roshchyna
Stories
“I Admit That I Deceived You”
How a well-known Russian “human rights activist” Maria Chashchilova falsified her biography and gained access to information that posed a threat to people persecuted by Russian authorities
31 January
Irina Dolinina
“I Admit That I Deceived You”
Stories
Former Wagner Group Employee Exposes Russian Propaganda Work in CAR
Ephrem Yalike was a member of an organization to spread disinformation in Central African Republic. He managed to flee his country and tell the inside story of Russia’s campaign to influence public opinion in Africa
21 November
Irina Dolinina, Léa Peruchon
Former Wagner Group Employee Exposes Russian Propaganda Work in CAR
Stories
A Runaway Regiment
More than a thousand Russian servicemen of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division went AWOL, IStories found out. What happened to them?
19 November
Irina Dolinina, Polina Uzhvak
A Runaway Regiment
News
Exclusive
Russian Authorities Plans to Send 40% of Accused Persons to War
About 20 thousand people may go to the war front from pre-trial detention centers
Russian Authorities Plans to Send 40% of Accused Persons to War
News
Exclusive
Who Runs One of the Most Popular Pro-War Telegram Channels
IStories reveal how an Airborne Forces officer, the son of a former deputy minister and possibly a General Staff officer make money from exclusive snuff videos from the war in Ukraine
Who Runs One of the Most Popular Pro-War Telegram Channels
Opinions
“No Obstacles — Just Drive Forward”
A former commander of a Russian reconnaissance group explains why the Armed Forces of Ukraine broke through into the Kursk Oblast so easily
12 August
Irina Dolinina
“No Obstacles — Just Drive Forward”
Stories
Dead Russians Revived
There are Russian military personnel in Ukrainian captivity who are considered dead in their homeland. Their relatives have even managed to bury “remains” in closed coffins. The Russian Defense Ministry did not provide the DNA testing results to the relatives
6 August
Irina Dolinina
Dead Russians Revived
Stories
The Shady Scheme of Russian Senator
Dmitry Savelyev, one of Russia’s wealthiest senators, received millions of dollars from a company implicated in a scheme to embezzle money from the Russian budget. This scheme was previously uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky
27 June
Irina Dolinina
The Shady Scheme of Russian Senator
Stories
Dubai Unlocked: Secrets and Lies in the UAE
IStories has uncovered which Russian officials, deputies, state company chiefs and criminals have acquired real estate in Dubai. Presenting Dubai Unlocked, a six-month international investigation involving more than 70 media outlets from around the globe.
14 May
Editors, Dmitry Velikovsky, Misha Gagarin, Ekaterina Selivanova, Irina Dolinina, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Sonya Savina, Maria Zholobova, Anastasia Korotkova, Lizaveta Tsybulina
Dubai Unlocked: Secrets and Lies in the UAE
Stories
Hell for the Mobilized Near Svatove
Stories of those missing in action and survivors’ accounts
18 January
Irina Dolinina, Rina Nikolaeva
Hell for the Mobilized Near Svatove
Stories
Svatove Slaughter: What Was It Like
To stop the Ukrainian offensive on Svatove, the Russian command threw thousands of untrained mobilized people to the front line. Their relatives are telling what happened to them
18 January
Irina Dolinina, Rina Nikolaeva
Svatove Slaughter: What Was It Like
Stories
/
The Rotenberg Files
Leaked Emails Reveal How Putin’s Friends Dodged Sanctions With Help of Western Enablers
Boris and Arkady Rotenberg were two of the most prominent Russian oligarchs to be sanctioned after the Kremlin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Never-before-seen insider documents now offer unprecedented insight into how they shielded their fortune — and who helped them do it.
20 June
Irina Dolinina, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Roman Anin, Dmitry Velikovsky, Maxim Solyus, Maria Zholobova, Daniel Balint-Kurti, Robert Denis, Misha Gagarin, Kevin G. Hall, Ekaterina Selivanova, Graham Stack, Tom Stocks, Julia Wallace, Giacomo Tognini, Ben Cowdock, Abdelhak El Idrissi , Jyri Hänninen, Minna Knus-Galan, Cecilia Anesi, Sanita Jemberga, Holger Roonemaa, Ilya Lozovsky
Leaked Emails Reveal How Putin’s Friends Dodged Sanctions With Help of Western Enablers
Stories
“Better Get a Minor Wound — No One Will Help You”
A Russian military paramedic talks with IStories about poor medical training in the Russian army and what are the most dangerous wounds in the war with Ukraine
12 May
Irina Dolinina
“Better Get a Minor Wound — No One Will Help You”
Stories
/
The Case of Russian Censorship
There Are No Protests in Russia? Yet Roskomnadzor Found Them!
IStories uncovered that Russia’s main censor Roskomnadzor monitors Russian protests every day: in which regions people are protesting, about what issues, and whether these scattered actions may turn into large-scale riots
22 March
Polina Uzhvak, Irina Dolinina
There Are No Protests in Russia? Yet Roskomnadzor Found Them!
Stories
/
The Case of Russian Censorship
The All-Seeing State Eye
Who found themselves in Roskomnadzor, the main Russian censor’s, sights, and why: potential “foreign agents”, opinion leaders, the media, tech giants, messaging apps and those close to powerful people. Enemies are blocked, while loyalists are saved from unflattering publications
8 February
Alesya Marokhovskaya, Polina Uzhvak, Katya Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Irina Dolinina, Sonya Savina, Rina Nikolaeva
The All-Seeing State Eye
Stories
/
The Case of Russian Censorship
Inside the Censorship Machine
Roskomnadzor plans to arrange total surveillance of the entire Russian-speaking internet using artificial intelligence. Is it possible?
8 February
Irina Dolinina, Katya Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Polina Uzhvak, Editors, Sonya Savina
Inside the Censorship Machine
Stories
/
The Case of Russian Censorship
How Roskomnadzor Protects Putin's Power
Russia’s main censor — Roskomnadzor — secretly monitors publications critical of Russian authorities on the internet. They generate reports that they then send to the security forces. What does it mean for Russian citizens?
8 February
Katya Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Irina Dolinina, Polina Uzhvak, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Sonya Savina, Anastasia Korotkova, Rina Nikolaeva
How Roskomnadzor Protects Putin's Power
Opinions
“The War Will End When Everybody Makes an Effort for That”
War has put some Russian citizens against a tough moral choice: if you’re against the aggressive acts of Russian authorities, may you support the Ukraine Army? “Important Stories” spoke to Russians, who send drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7 February
Irina Dolinina
“The War Will End When Everybody Makes an Effort for That”
Stories
The Russian Aviation Squadron’s Chief of Staff: “What, Did I Press the Button, or Was I Sitting in the Plane?”
Russian servicemen, who may have been involved in a missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro, avoid Important Stories' questions
16 January
Irina Dolinina, Dmitry Velikovsky, Editors
The Russian Aviation Squadron’s Chief of Staff: “What, Did I Press the Button, or Was I Sitting in the Plane?”
Stories
Harrowing Accounts of Ukrainians Who Were Detained, Questioned and Tortured by Russian Troops near Kyiv
After entering Kyiv, Russian soldiers detained locals, and held them prisoner for days, while violently beating and torturing them using hammers, axes and gunstocks
3 October
Irina Dolinina, Rina Nikolaeva, Editors
Harrowing Accounts of Ukrainians Who Were Detained, Questioned and Tortured by Russian Troops near Kyiv
Stories
“You Do Realize We’re the Fascists?”
Why Russian servicemen are refusing to fight in Ukraine and how Russia is trying to send them back to the front
18 August
Irina Dolinina
“You Do Realize We’re the Fascists?”
Stories
Refugees 2022. A Documentary by IStories
How they lose, escape, and help during the war
27 May
Ekaterina Fomina, Irina Dolinina
Refugees 2022. A Documentary by IStories
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