American journalist Christopher Helali announced that he wants to obtain Russian citizenship and has sent an official letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing his request.
Speaking to Sputnik on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Helali stated:
“Yes, I definitely plan to obtain Russian citizenship. I sent a letter to President Putin, and I hope to become a Russian citizen within the next few months.”
‘Western Journalists Act as Stenographers for the Elite’
Helali sharply criticized the Western media’s approach to the Ukraine crisis, arguing that Western journalists are unwilling to visit the Donbas region and witness crimes allegedly committed by the Ukrainian side.
According to Helali, doing so would run contrary to the interests of both journalists and the corporations they work for. He commented:
“Ultimately, Western journalists serve as stenographers for the elites and the ruling class. They are effectively providing political cover for war crimes that continue to be committed.”
On Ukraine’s ‘Blacklist’
Christopher Helali, who previously visited Russia’s Kursk Oblast following an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and also traveled to a college in Starobilsk that was reportedly destroyed in a Ukrainian missile strike, has also become a target of the Kyiv government.
The American journalist is listed on the controversial Ukrainian website Myrotvorets, commonly referred to as a blacklist.