Oksana Baulina, a journalist with Russian independent media outlet The Insider, died in Russian shelling of Kyiv on March 23, 2022. She was documenting the damage caused by a Russian military attack on the capital of Ukraine and came under subsequent shelling.
Since the 2000s, Oksana Baulina had been a fashion and lifestyle journalist: she was the editor of Moscow bureaus of such foreign outlets as InStyle, Glamour, and Time Out; later — Conde Nast Traveller. According to her colleagues, Baulina was never afraid to cover sensitive topics shunned by other glossy magazines, like domestic violence or cancer.
“She was an incredible human being in so many respects. The most reliable person I’ve ever known. Oksana was a lot more resilient, both physically and morally, than I could ever be. Always putting others first, often at her own risk,” Baulina’s friend and co-worker Alexey Kovalyov recalls.
Oksana had influence in Moscow's fashionable circles until she got involved with political activism. In 2014, she resigned from the position of editor-in-chief of Conde Nast Traveller after it gave way to an article approving of the annexation of Crimea. Ever since then, Baulina dedicated herself to civic activism.
Russian authorities persecuted Oksana for her opposition. In 2017, she spent a week at a detention center. The pressure on her grew even stronger over the years; thus, she had to flee for Warsaw in 2020.
While in Poland, she collaborated with outlets such as Radio Liberty and Mediazona. In 2021, Baulina began to work with The Insider. This media was given the status of “foreign agent” in Russia and became famous for investigations conducted jointly with Bellingcat.
Oksana Baulina had no work experience in combat zones; yet in 2022, she went to Ukraine on an editorial assignment. At first, she covered the war from Lviv. A day before her death, Baulina went to Kyiv. She was able to release a few important stories from Ukraine.
Oksana Baulina was 42 years old. She had a mother and a sister.
