Simon Ostrovsky

Simon Ostrovsky
Симон Островский
Ostrovsky in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 2016
Born (1981-02-02) February 2, 1981 (age 43)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • producer
Years activec. 2007–present
EmployerPBS NewsHour
Awards
Websitesimonostrovsky.com

Simon Ostrovsky (Russian: Симон Островский; born (1981-02-02)February 2, 1981) is an American journalist and documentary producer. He is best known for his coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 and 2015, when he was dispatched by VICE News to cover the events that unfolded in Ukraine as the country came into conflict with neighbouring Russia prior to and after Crimea's annexation by the latter. His other reports have covered Uzbek child labour, North Korean internment camps, the 2015 Europe migrant crisis, and the Arab–Israeli conflict.

In April 2014, Ostrovsky was abducted by pro-Russia separatists after they identified him as a person of interest at their checkpoint in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk; he was held hostage at a detention centre and tortured for three days before being released as the separatists retreated in the face of a Ukrainian military offensive. Later, in 2015, he filmed Selfie Soldiers, a documentary in which he elaborately traced and followed the social media presence of a Russian soldier who had been deployed to eastern Ukraine for the War in Donbas at a time when Russia was denying the existence of any Russian military presence in the Ukrainian mainland.[1]

For his work with VICE Media, Ostrovsky won an Emmy Award in 2013, while his series Russian Roulette was nominated for two Emmys. He also received the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award in 2016 and again in 2023.[2] Currently, he is a special correspondent for PBS NewsHour.[3]

  1. ^ "Selfie Soldiers: Russia Checks in to Ukraine - VICE News". VICE News. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Simon Ostrovsky - Awards". Simon Ostrovsky. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  3. ^ "Register". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 26, 2023.