Journalist Natalia Lazarovych: a blitz interview with a Bihus.Info investigative journalist

A journalist is one of six characters in the RBTNK world, fighting for victory alongside other superheroes. This is someone who asks questions and finds answers that shape the home front and society. Ahead of June 6, Journalist's Day, we met with Natalia Lazarovych - an investigative journalist at the Bihus.Info newsroom. At Kyiv railway station, right before another work trip, Natalia talked about choosing her role in the war and the intricacies of her work.

This material is published as part of the Superheroes series and the Bihus.Info x RBTNK collaboration. Together, we created a limited-edition tag, "Brave Enough to Make Change," with the proceeds going toward a fundraiser for the First Medical Battalion, where Bihus.Info investigative journalist Oleksii Yarylchenko currently serves. Get your brave tag and join the fundraiser here.

Hi, Natalia! Tell us about your work

I conduct anti-corruption investigations at the Bihus.Info newsroom. Together with the team, we have uncovered overpayments and abuses in rebuilding damaged buildings, analyzed huge volumes of the so-called "Komarnytskyi tapes" (in which the "overseer" and Kyiv City Council deputies carve up Kyiv land), and investigated where the money went during the construction of fortifications.

I also mentor journalists and newsrooms conducting investigations in various parts of the country. I believe it is important to show what is happening in the regions, too.

Why did you choose this particular role in the war?

I joined the Bihus.Info team after the full-scale invasion had begun, although I had considered going into anti-corruption investigations earlier - I simply didn't dare. The final push came during a very difficult period: my relatives were in active combat zones, and people I knew from "Plast" were dying ("Plast" is Ukraine's national scouting organization - editor's note). At that point, I felt I had to do something in which I could see meaning and impact. I also missed belonging to a community with shared values. A little later, after I joined Bihus.Info, we raised 10 million hryvnias for the military. It felt like a match. We still regularly help defenders through fundraisers.

What is your mission?

“ My mission is toexpose corruption and tell people about what others want to hide”

In your opinion, how can we build a bridge between the home front and the front line?

It is important for people on the home front to listen and, most importantly, hear those on the front line. To learn more about how the consequences of war can manifest in service members and how to respond to them. To support those who have returned. To join fundraisers. To raise children to respect everyone involved in the military. And for service members - despite everything, to believe that they are awaited here.

Tell us your favorite story from work

When I did my first investigation for Bihus.Info, I was immediately hit with a lawsuit. Not even by the subject of the material, but by Andrii Portnov, who had been the first deputy head of Yanukovych's Administration. The story was not about him at all, but Portnov desperately wanted to defend his "honor, dignity, and business reputation." Things he had never had in the first place. He wanted to sue us over 10 seconds in the story that mentioned his position and residence in Moscow. It was the shortest-ever claim in a lawsuit against the newsroom. In general, suing journalists was Portnov's hobby. But the hapless lawyer gave up halfway through, the case never reached trial, and Portnov himself can no longer terrorize anyone :)

What artifacts do you always carry with you?

I always have a keychain from someone close to me in my bag, a pink tourniquet from a friend, and a CPR face shield that medics gave me at a training session. On difficult days, I wear your "The One Who Remembers Wins" bracelet. On trips, I take an important patch and, more recently, a tag.

And what does your tag say?

"Brave Enough to Make Change." When I turn this phrase over in my mind, it both motivates and inspires me. These few words describe our work and what we believe in at Bihus.Info very well. You are not born brave - courage grows and is hardened when you stand up for your values.

We created this tag to boost the fundraiser for our colleague Oleksii Yarylchenko's unit. Oleksii and I worked together on an investigation into embezzlement during reconstruction, and now he serves in the ranks of the First Medical Battalion.

“You are not born brave - courage grows and is hardened when you stand up for your values”

What gives you faith and persistence?

I am a stubborn person by nature, especially at work. High-profile anti-corruption exposés, particularly large-scale ones like the recent ones, reinforce that persistence. Faith is the foundation - I don't know how to manage without it. I simply believe that we will hold out, that my relatives will come home, and that not only the final destination matters, but also the journey. When this foundation wobbles a little, I talk to my positive friends and relatives.

What do you dream of now?

I thought about this question for a long time.

“Perhaps, finally feeling that justice exists”

And one last question: if you could imagine becoming any character in the game, whom would you choose?

I don't usually play games, but I used to choose ones where you had to complete tasks, find things, and uncover secrets. I guess I'm doing something similar now :)

Join the community of those who uncover important secrets and make change: order the RBTNK x Bihus.Info tag, like Natalia. The proceeds from the "Brave Enough to Make Change" tag will go toward supporting the fundraiser for Bihus.Info defender and journalist Oleksii Yarylchenko.

Text:

Vladyslava Kuzinska

Viktoriia Safronova

Photos:

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