I’m an independent journalist analyzing Russia’s military losses and investigating war crimes in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Ask Me Anything.

Hi Reddit!
I’m Polina Uzhvak, a journalist at the Russian-language exiled newsroom IStories Media.

I work on data-driven research and investigations. I contribute to counting Russian casualties as part of our AI-assisted project Charon, and I investigate the threats faced by Ukrainian POWs in Russian captivity and in the occupied territories.

While Russian authorities try to hide information and data, my colleagues and I still find ways to estimate what’s really happening.

For the third anniversary of Russia’s 2022 mobilization, we are taking a deep dive into its impact using one region — Tomsk Oblast — as a case study.

If you want to know:

• methods for estimating losses;
• how and why the state obscures data (and what open sources still reveal);
• real stories of those who were mobilized and their families;
• what independent journalism in exile looks like day to day;
• or anything else you’re curious about (within legal & safety limits),

I’ll be here answering live on 22.09, 18:00–20:00 CEST. Ask me anything!

And if you've never heard of IStories you can check our resources in English: — Website — X/Twitter

Proof:

• My photo: https://imgur.com/a/evzkAop
• My page on the IStories website: https://istories.media/en/author/polina-uzhvak/

EDIT (20:35 CET): Thank you for the questions you’ve sent! I have to go for now, but I’ll try to answer a few of them tomorrow. I’m really glad this topic sparked some interest.