Sonya Groysman

Sonya Romanovna Groysman (; born 13 April 1995) is a Russian journalist. After working for independent media outlets including Proekt and TV Rain, Groysman was among the first Russian journalists to be labelled as a foreign agent by the Russian government, severely impacting her ability to work in Russia. Following this, she created the podcast Hello, You're a Foreign Agent, alongside fellow journalist Olga Churakova, detailing their experiences.

Early life and education Groysman was born on 13 April 1995 in Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast. She studied journalism at Moscow State University.

Journalism career After graduating, Groysman worked for the independent media outlets Proekt and TV Rain, where she focused on directing video documentaries. Groysman later challenged her designation in court, though the judge refused to remove her status.

In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent closure of TV Rain on 1 March, Groysman left Russia for Turkey.

In 2023, Hello, You're a Foreign Agent aired a special series entitled "Sisters" , featuring eight episodes focused on Russian women who were against the Russo-Ukrainian war whose brothers had been deployed to the frontline. This led to the podcast being recognised as one of the best podcasts of 2023 by Meduza and won Groysman and Churakova a Redkollegia; they had previously won the award in 2021 for an episode about the Russian Wikipedia.

Hello, You're a Foreign Agent was banned from Russia-based podcast plaforms such as Yandex Music. In 2023, Roskomnadzor banned the podcast after concluding that the "Sisters" series included "unrealiable information" that was "destabilising the socio-political situation". In May 2024, Groysman was charged after failing to declare her status as a foreign agent at the beginning of an episode of Hello, You're a Foreign Agent.

Recognition In 2022, Groysman was nominated for the Index on Censorship's Freedom of Expression Award. In 2024, Groysman was part of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism's Class of 2024.

In 2024, Groysman was featured in the documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow.