Vanishing Archives of Russia’s Alternative Futures

The disappearance of independent Russian media archives erases evidence of political alternatives as well as reporting. RIMA’s preservation work challenges that loss, while AI systems risk turning an incomplete surviving record into a seemingly comprehensive account of Russia’s past.

The essay connects the recovery of NTV and Lenta.doc materials with memories of independent journalism and protest. It examines why losing those sources matters for future readers and researchers, including those who encounter history through AI, without treating a public archive as an unlimited claim on private lives.