Elena Kostyuchenko is a Russian independent journalist. For 17 years she was a special correspondent of Novaya Gazeta, till the newspaper was shut down by Russian authorities in April 2022. She reported on conflict, crime, and social issues. Kostyuchenko was among the first to write about the presence of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. She covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the second day of the war. She is also the author of two collections, Unwanted on Probation and It’s Us Who Will Live Here. Her work was acknowledged with multiple awards including European Press Prize, the Gerd Bucerius Award-Free Press of Eastern Europe, and Paul Klebnikov Prize.