Journalist, media manager, and media consultant
Also published as Ilya Klishin · Илья Клишин
Based in Vilnius, Ilia Klishin works at the intersection of journalism, media strategy, and public analysis. His writing and commentary focus on Russian digital propaganda, pressure on independent media, protest politics, and the civic life of Russian-speaking communities in exile.
This site brings together selected articles, interviews, source-backed notes, public context notes, and contact information for media, research, speaking, and consulting requests.
Current work
Previous roles
Independent references
Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, Carnegie Endowment, TEDx.
Freedom House, RAND, LSE EUROPP, JSIS Washington, Global Voices, Delfi, The Insider, The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, 7x7, Republic, Snob.
By May 2014, Kremlin-linked digital operators were already beginning to target Western audiences. Early troll-farm tactics combined synthetic engagement, pre-moderation loopholes, and provocative messaging aimed at American and European comment sections.
Social networks can accelerate visibility, coordination, and emotional contagion — but they do not produce revolutions on their own.
After the 2011–2012 protest wave, the Kremlin learned from the networked opposition and began rebuilding control over the digital public sphere.
Kremlin bot activity looked less like successful soft power than a domestic political tactic built around noise, intimidation, and simulated consensus.
Ten years after Bolotnaya, the 2011 protest wave looks like political learning rather than simple defeat.
Major private platforms gained political power without democratic accountability.
A small factual mistake in coverage of the Putin-Macron meeting exposed a larger expertise gap in foreign commentary on Russia.
The pandemic disrupted the timing of Putin’s constitutional vote and exposed the fragility of a carefully staged political ritual.
Recent interviews, podcasts, and long-form discussions.
A conversation about myths around Lithuania, migrant adaptation, and the information environment.
Open material on YouTubeAn episode of the Tvoya Zakladka podcast about Nabokov, emigration, and cultural optics.
Open material on Apple PodcastsAn interview for 7x7 about a Vilnius book club, reading practice, and community building.
Open material on 7x7A conversation about relocation, the Volna project, integration in Lithuania, and reading habits.
Open material on Radio TochkaAn interview on building emigrant media and speaking to new audiences without arrogance or noise.
Open material on HolodAn English feature in The Fix on new Russian-language diaspora media, including Volna.
Open material on The FixFor consulting, speaking, media requests, and research collaboration.