Maria Konstantinovna Pevchikh (; born August 15, 1987) is a Russian investigative journalist and anti-corruption activist who has served as the chairwoman of the board of directors of the

Anti-Corruption Foundation The Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF or FBK; russian: Фонд борьбы с коррупцией (ФБК), Fond borby s korruptsiyey (FBK), Foundation for combating corruption) is a non-profit organization established in 2011 by Russian opposit ...

since March 2023. Pevchikh is known for exposing high-level

corruption in Russia Corruption is perceived as a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly establish ...

Biography

Maria Pevchikh was born on August 15, 1987, in the city of Zelenograd, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Pevchikh graduated from Zelenograd gymnasium No. 1528. She studied at the of Moscow State University, where Alexander Dugin was the supervisor of her thesis "Ethno-sociological portrait of modern Great Britain". In 2010, Pevchikh led a Russian delegation to participate in the G8 Youth Summit in Vancouver, Canada. In 2010 she moved to the United Kingdom, where she graduated from the faculty of political science of the London School of Economics. Pevchikh holds Russian-British dual citizenship. Maria Pevchikh gained media attention in 2020 after the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. She was one of

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolievich Navalny ( rus, links=no, Алексей Анатольевич Навальный, , ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ nɐˈvalʲnɨj; born 4 June 1976) is a Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Russian opposition ...

's companions during his trip across Russia when he was poisoned. When it became known that Navalny had fallen into a coma, Pevchikh went to the hotel where he had stayed and took plastic water bottles from there. The bottles were taken from Russia to Germany on the plane on which Navalny was evacuated. Experts later found traces of the Novichok chemical warfare agent. After Leonid Volkov resigned as the chairman of the board of directors of the

, Pevchikh was appointed to the position on March 22, 2023.

Investigations

Maria Pevchikh began reading Alexei Navalny's blog in 2010 and later worked on almost all investigations that appeared on the blog after 2011. The first investigation she worked on was an investigation into the Russian VTB Bank and its drilling equipment. The investigation was launched by the

(FBK) and Pevchikh worked to complete it. Her job as head of the investigation department is to gather information and prepare textual material for investigations. On December 2, 2019, the FBK investigation department released a video about the connections between Russian banker Andrey Kostin and Russian journalist . In an interview with the Global Investigative Journalism Network, Maria Pevchikh told what methods were used during the investigation. Pevchikh and Russian activist

Georgy Alburov Georgy Alburov (, born October 9, 1989, Ufa, USSR) is a Russian political and social activist, journalist, and blogger. Up to 2021, together with Maria Pevchikh, he was a head of the investigation department at the Anti-Corruption Foundation ...

received the ''

Redkollegia ''Redkollegia'' () is an independent media award established by the '' Sreda Foundation'' headed by to support free professional journalism in Russia. The prize is awarded monthly to several authors. The organizers of the award believe that in ...

'' journalism award for their investigation into " Putin's Palace", a palace complex allegedly built for Russian president Vladimir Putin through a corruption scheme.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pevchikh, Maria 1987 births Alumni of the London School of Economics Anti-Corruption Foundation British investigative journalists British women journalists Living people Moscow State University alumni Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People from Zelenograd People with multiple nationality Redkollegia award winners Russian activists against the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian anti-corruption activists Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom Russian investigative journalists Russian women journalists