Kennan Institute Alumni Win Prize in Russia

Three Kennan Institute alumni have been awarded the prestigious Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of print media. Yuri Baturin (Research Scholar 1989-1990), Mikhail Fedotov (Short Term Scholar, 2004) and Lidiya Grafova (Short Term Scholar, 1998) were recognized as individuals who have shown true dedication to securing freedom of the press and sustaining an independent print media in Russia.

Baturin, a former National Security Advisor to President Yeltsin and a Russian cosmonaut, was one of the prime authors of the most liberal law on the press in Russian history. Fedotov actively promoted free media of all forms while serving as Minister of Press and Media during the early 1990s, before becoming Russian Permanent Representative to UNESCO during the late 1990s. Grafova is a journalist who has bravely written on the terrible state of refugees in the Russian Federation from various wars around the region.

The Kennan Institute is proud to have supported these distinguished individuals in the various stages of their careers. Baturin, Fedotov, and Grafova are bringing about positive change in their country and their accomplishments are a testament to the Woodrow Wilson Center's mission of combining scholarship and public affairs. An article about the awardees can be found in Novaya Gazeta as well as on the Kennan Moscow Project website.