Five years ago, we launched Important Stories with one goal: to report only the stories that truly matter.
Since then, we've become one of Russia's leading independent media outlets — and one of the few that still travels across the country to show how ordinary people live and what they think during wartime.
Our investigations have made global headlines, prompting responses even from the CIA. Our stories have drawn the ire of the Kremlin, which has “rewarded” our work with the labels “foreign agent”, “undesirable organization”, and even criminal charges against our journalists.
Our reporting drives real impact: we know of multiple cases when Russian soldiers fled the front after our publications, and local officials in Russia’s regions addressed long-ignored problems. Our stories have served as evidence to launch investigations into Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. More than 70 companies and intermediaries mentioned in our investigations into how Russia smuggles equipment for its military industry have been added to international sanctions lists.
Right now, we are stretched to the edge and operating at our full capacity. To keep publishing the stories that matter most, we need at least 5,000 monthly donors.
The Kremlin has labelled us “undesirable”, making it impossible to receive donations from our audience inside the country — supporting independent media is now criminalized in Russia.
On our fifth anniversary, we’re reaching out to readers outside Russia. We can only rely on you. IStories cannot survive without your support.
Support courageous, independent journalism — become our monthly donor.
Every contribution counts.
In March 2022, the Russian authorities designated Important Stories as an “undesirable organization.
Under current Russian law, this means Russian citizens who live in or visit Russia could face criminal charges just for working with us, or for donating.
Even though around 80% of our audience is still in Russia, we do not accept donations from inside the country. We care deeply about the safety of our readers and donors and will never put people at risk.
That’s why we rely on the support of Russian expats and non-Russian readers.
Your donation funds the creation of important stories — investigations into Russian war crimes and the Putin regime, data-driven journalism, and documentaries about real life in Russia.
Absolutely.
We use US dollars as the default donation currency, but you can donate from an account in any other currency. Your bank will automatically convert the amount based on its exchange rate.
Yes — completely safe.
We don’t store your card data, and our website uses HTTPS encryption to protect your traffic. You’ll be charged monthly on the same date, and you can change or cancel anytime.
You can also donate via Google Pay, Apple Pay, or by becoming a sponsor of our YouTube channel — in those cases, you won’t need to enter your card details on our site.
Not sure how to set that up? Check these guides:
Also, you can make a cryptocurrency transfer using an anonymous (non-custodial) crypto wallet, such as Exodus, Kraken Wallet, or another one. A non-custodial wallet does not collect or store any user data.
Email us at letter@istories.media — we’ll help you update your card, change your donation amount, payment date, or cancel at any time.
Yes. If you need a receipt for your transaction, get in touch via letter@istories.media.
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If you’d like to volunteer — as a designer, illustrator, developer, translator, or in any other role — get in touch via letter@istories.media.
If you have information you’d like to share for a potential story, contact us securely via our encrypted feedback form.