The Russian Independent Media Web Archive is a collection featuring Russian-language online news publications which don't receive any direct funding from the Russian government. Due to their financial independence, these publications report on controversial topics which are typically not discussed by other Russian media outlets, such as corruption, police brutality, poverty, LGBTQ+ rights and other social issues. Beginning in the 2010s, the internet in Russia has been used to disseminate alternative points of view which are at odds with what is presented through state-sponsored media. The phenomenon of independent blogs, YouTube channels and born-digital news sites has been called Media 3.0, or digital samizdat; a term referencing the Soviet tradition of surreptitiously publishing banned content. Since 2021, the Russian Ministry of Justice has labelled several major Russian independent news sources (and individual journalists) as "foreign agents," a designation indicating the organization or person in question has received funding from a foreign source. The legal obligations and social stigma accompanying this label has led some targeted websites to cease operations. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many independent media sites were blocked in Russia while several ceased operations such as Ekho Moskvy and Znak.com.

This collection primarily consists of independent media organizations which publish news content exclusively online. The scope of the sites can vary, from general news coverage (e.g. Meduza) to reporting on a particular topic (e.g. Mediazona and criminal justice reform). The collection also includes the websites for Russian professional organizations which strive to protect the right of free speech and uphold journalistic integrity. Finally, the collection includes a limited number of blogs which comment on current events. This collection will be of interest to those interested in contemporary Russia as well as the history of the Russian press. It also complements the Library of Congress' vast holdings of Russian newspapers in print, on microfilm and through various e-databases.

Collection Period: May 2020 to present (this is an ongoing archive).

Frequency of Collection: The majority of sites in the collection were targeted for capture quarterly, with some targeted for capture monthly or weekly.

Languages: Collection material in Russian, with English.

Acquisition Information: Sites have been added incrementally since the project began and will continue to be added as they are identified.