Perpetuum Mobile (PM) is pleased to reveal that Vadim Smyslov, currently publishing exposés on Russian spies in the Nordic region, is in residency at AR-Safe Haven Helsinki with the support of the JOKES Foundation!
Vadim Smyslov is an investigative journalist from Russia who left the country after being added to a list of “traitors” shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – he had publicly condemned the politics of Vladimir Putin.
Already in November 2021, his article about the persecution of female stand-up comedians from Chechnya and Dagestan earned him a nomination for Redkollegia, Russia’s most prominent independent journalism award. Since going into exile, Smyslov has continued to collaborate with major European and American outlets, as well as the Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet.
While in residence in Helsinki, Smyslov is continuing his investigative series on the clandestine activities of Russian spies in the Nordic countries [pictured above]. Parallel to this, Smyslov is currently preparing his book “The Cock” for publication [pictured below] – a work about conversion therapy and the forced treatment of homosexuality in Russia.
Smyslov says about his time in Helsinki, “In Finland, I have everything I need for creativity: a house by the forest, rahka [quark] in all kinds of flavours, and crowds of squirrels I spy on from my window.”
Vadim Smyslov’s PM/AR-Residency in Finland is funded by the Jokes Foundation, in a programme initiated by the Union for Journalists in Finland. Thank you for your generous support!
