IWMF announces Lilia Yapparova as 2026 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow

My access to readers in Russia is restricted, and my work feels like fighting a shadow or punching into the void. Thirty years ago, Elizabeth [Neuffer] reported on young post-Soviet states’ first steps toward creating their own armies; now, I will be covering those armies. How does a Russian journalist reach home-country audiences? I hope to find the answers through the fellowship.”

Lilia Yapparova

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today announced Russian journalist Lilia Yapparova as the organization’s 21^st annual Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow. Yapparova, who lives in exile from Russia, is a correspondent for independent Russian- and English-language news site Meduza and was selected from an applicant pool of 133 journalists across 60 countries. Named after late Boston Globe journalist Elizabeth Neuffer, the IWMF fellowship awards one woman journalist the opportunity to study and report on human rights and social justice while working in the United States.

In early 2026, Yapparova will begin her fellowship in Boston, Massachusetts, as a research associate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies and embedded at The Boston Globe. She will then transition to a position with The New York Times in the spring. Throughout her 11-year career, Yapparova has covered Russia’s persecution of marginalized peoples, particularly LGBTQI+ communities.

On the importance of the fellowship, Yapparova said: “My access to readers in Russia is restricted, and my work feels like fighting a shadow or punching into the void. Thirty years ago, Elizabeth reported on young post-Soviet states’ first steps toward creating their own armies; now, I will be covering those armies. How does a Russian journalist reach home-country audiences? I hope to find the answers through the fellowship.”

Yapparova lives in exile in Latvia following a media crackdown in Russia four years ago. She continues to cover Russia’s war on Ukraine; she was the only Russian journalist reporting from Kramatorsk at the start of the invasion, and one of the few journalists who reported from inside occupied Chernihiv. In 2022, she led Meduza’s investigations into civilian killings in Bucha and Bohdanivka. Though her reporting has been censored in Russia, Yapparova continues her investigations into the government’s war crimes and corruption.

“Lilia embodies the spirit of Elizabeth Neuffer’s reporting, bearing witness to human rights abuses in the face of abject danger,” said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Muñoz. “As we enter the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we’re proud to provide journalists like Lilia additional resources, skills and education to keep holding power to account.”

The 2026 runner-up is Lian Buan, an investigative reporter for Rappler from the Philippines. With nearly 15 years of experience covering human rights and criminal justice, Buan has investigated wrongdoing in Philippine prisons; the illicit money trail of scam hubs; the killing, abduction and persecution of activists and indigenous leaders; and corrupt government contracts, most recently of privatized water involving the country's richest man. Buan also investigated Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs and his alleged death squad. 

The Elizabeth Neuffer fellowship was created in 2004 in memory of Neuffer, who received the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 1998. Neuffer was killed in 2003 while reporting in Iraq; following her death, the IWMF established the fellowship in collaboration with Neuffer’s family, friends and peers to honor her legacy while advancing the work of women reporting within the field of human rights and social justice.

More information about the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship and other programs can be found on the IWMF website.

About the IWMF:

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is the only global organization built to serve the holistic needs of women and nonbinary journalists. We are a bold and inclusive organization that supports journalists where they are with awards, reporting opportunities, fellowships, grants, safety training and emergency aid. As one of the largest supporters of women-produced journalism, our transformative work strengthens equal opportunity and press freedom worldwide. Follow the IWMF on X/Twitter at @IWMF, on Facebook at @IWMFPage, on Instagram on @TheIWMF and on TikTok @theiwmf.