Documentary Reveals the Struggles of Independent Journalists in Putin’s Russia Before the Ukraine Invasion

My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow is a 2024 documentary directed by Julia Loktev that chronicles the experiences of young independent journalists at TV Rain, Moscow’s last independent news channel, during the tense months leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The film, nearly five and a half hours long and divided into five chapters, captures the increasing repression these journalists face as they are branded ‘foreign agents’ by the Russian regime, subjected to surveillance, and forced to add disclaimers to their reporting. The story intimately follows their personal and professional struggles, including coping with imprisonment of colleagues, living under constant threat, managing family life, and resisting propaganda in a hostile environment. As the invasion unfolds, the documentary shifts focus to the war’s impact and the journalists’ forced exile from Russia. The film serves as a powerful, often harrowing portrait of courage and resistance in the face of authoritarianism and censorship in modern Russia.