'Working in Russia is like being a deep-sea diver', BBC's man in Moscow tells RFI
How does you report on the reality of a Russia at war from its capital? Based in Moscow for more than 30 years, the BBC's Russia correspondent Steve Rosenberg is one of the few Western journalists still working in the country. He spoke to RFI about his daily life as a reporter in Russia and why he has chosen to stay, despite the Kremlin's increasing hostility to foreign media.
Places named in this report: Moscow
Exact coordinates
moscow: 55.760, 37.620
Read it at RFI See this on the map
What might happen next? AI-generated
These scenarios are written by an AI language model from the headline and summary above. They are not predictions from the newsroom, and they are not evidence of anything. Every one is given a deadline and checked against later coverage, and the score is published on the ledger — including the ones that miss.
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Awaiting deadline 45% Journalist Expulsion
Russian authorities formally revoke Steve Rosenberg's accreditation or issue an ultimatum regarding his reporting activities, forcing him to leave Moscow within a short notice period. This decision is driven by recent high-profile incidents where foreign media outlets were deemed to have violated press freedom laws.
Watch for: BBC confirms Steve Rosenberg has been expelled from Russia · Russian Foreign Ministry releases statement on foreign journalist accreditation · Rosenberg announces he will no longer cover stories from Moscow
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Awaiting deadline 30% Status Quo with Increased Surveillance
No expulsion occurs, but the BBC correspondent is subjected to stricter monitoring and limited access to specific regions. The Russian government signals a soft warning rather than hard action, allowing Rosenberg to continue reporting under tighter constraints.
Watch for: BBC reports restricted access to certain Russian regions for its correspondent · Russian Foreign Ministry denies rumors of expulsion in an official press conference · Rosenberg continues publishing stories from Moscow
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Awaiting deadline 15% Diplomatic Thaw
In a gesture of goodwill or diplomatic maneuvering, Russia allows the BBC correspondent to operate freely despite ongoing geopolitical tensions. The Kremlin uses this as a signal that press freedom is still respected in practice, albeit selectively.
Watch for: BBC publishes new investigative report from Moscow without censorship · Russian Foreign Minister comments on media cooperation with Western outlets · No official statement is issued regarding foreign journalist accreditation
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Awaiting deadline 10% Mutual Agreement
The BBC and Russian authorities reach an informal understanding where the correspondent's reporting is vetted internally to avoid specific political sensitivities. This allows Rosenberg to remain in Moscow while avoiding direct confrontation with the Kremlin.
Watch for: BBC confirms continued presence of its correspondent in Moscow · No official statements from either side regarding restrictions on media activity
Generated by qwen3.8-flash-next-q2_0
on 2026-11-01. Checked against later coverage after 2026-11-11.
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