Less than two years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Safronov, a well-respected military correspondent, was arrested to show Russian journalists that they were no longer allowed to report on the military. Following his arrest, Putin tightened press restrictions in Russia, forcing Safronov’s fiancé to flee the country. Still, even after his appeal was denied and Safronov continues to serve his 22-year sentence in Siberia, his letters to friends remain optimistic.