Russia’s most prominent political cartoonist Sergei Elkin announced Wednesday that he had left Russia amid a wartime crackdown on journalism. He is now in Bulgaria.
Over the years, Elkin has lampooned politicians, businessmen, and international elites in media outlets across the world — including The Moscow Times, who published his series, “Putin’s Russia” in print and online.
New laws passed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 stipulate that anyone found guilty of spreading “fake news” can face up to 15 years in prison.
“I left Russia. The border guard did not want to let me go like Lao Tzu,” he wrote on Facebook. “But now I’m in Bulgaria. The future is unclear.”
The Moscow Times is celebrating Elkin’s work by sharing some of the cartoons he created for the newspaper over the years.
