Ilya Yablokov

Ilya Yablokov is a Lecturer in Digital Journalism and Disinformation at the University of Sheffield's School of Information, Journalism and Communication, where he joined in July 2021. His academic work spans Russian media studies, disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and journalistic practices in post-socialist contexts.

Yablokov's research interests focus on dis/misinformation, conspiracy theories, international broadcasting and political communication, and journalistic practices of (self-)censorship in post-socialist countries. His work examines how Russian state media employs conspiracy theories as tools of political communication and public diplomacy, particularly through outlets like RT (Russia Today). He has conducted extensive research on the production and dissemination of Russian state disinformation campaigns via 'troll factories' and the experiences of Russian independent media operating in exile following the Ukraine invasion.

Yablokov's most significant publications include the monograph Fortress Russia: conspiracy theories in the post-Soviet world (Polity 2018), which studied how political elites in post-Soviet Russia use conspiracy theories for political purposes, and Russia Today and Conspiracy Theories: People, Power, Politics on RT (with Precious Chatterje-Doody), which explores how Russian international broadcaster uses traditional and new media environments to spread disinformation. He is currently working with Elisabeth Schimpfossl on the monograph Russian Media Mavericks: Feeding the Fire of Authoritarianism about the history of Russian media elites since 1987.

His scholarly work has appeared in leading academic journals including Journalism, European Journal of Communication, Russian Review, Politics, and Democratizatsiya. Yablokov has also received significant media attention, with contributions to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Politico, Al-Jazeera, and The Guardian.

• Principal investigator of the British Academy research grant 'Self-censorship in post-Socialist countries' (2017-2019)
• Regular contributor to Open Democracy with analyses of Russian media landscape
• Recipient of multiple research grants for studies on post-Soviet media systems

Yablokov teaches modules related to political/public communication, principles of journalism, and research methods in media and communication studies at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Sheffield.