With the war in Ukraine, and the demise of NATO, thanks to the behaviour of Donald Trump, the relationship between Europe and Russia has deteriorated severely, and Britain is disliked the most by the current Putin leadership.
The BBC has a head of station there, who has been over 20 years in Russia, and seems for the time being, to be accepted by the Russian regime, though this could change at any time. He is Steven Rosenberg who is a very interesting personality.
Steven Barnett Rosenberg was born on 5 April 1968 in Epping and grew up in Chingford, east London. He is Jewish. During his senior high school summer holidays, Rosenberg worked at the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax.
Following A-Levels at Chingford Senior High, he attended the University of Leeds receiving, in 1991, a first-class degree in Russian Studies. Rosenberg then moved to Moscow, initially teaching English at the Moscow State Technological University STANKIN.
Career
Rosenberg began his career at CBS News' Moscow bureau, working as a translator, assistant producer and producer for six years, including covering the first war in Chechnya (1994–1996).
In 1997, he joined the BBC's Moscow bureau as a producer. On New Year's Eve 1999, no journalist was in the bureau when Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly announced his resignation. "That meant I had to step in to write and broadcast my first BBC dispatch," Rosenberg recalled 25 years later. He became a reporter in 2000 and Moscow correspondent in 2003. He covered major stories such as the Kursk submarine disaster (2000), the Nord Ost theatre siege (2002) and the Beslan school attack (2004). In 2003, he interviewed Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.[7]
From 2006 to 2010, Rosenberg served as the BBC's Berlin correspondent, covering Germany and Europe. He returned to Moscow as a correspondent in 2010.[8][9]
In 2014, Rosenberg and his crew were attacked in Astrakhan after interviewing the sister of a Russian soldier killed during the war in Donbas. The BBC lodged a complaint with Russian authorities. In 2015, Ukraine temporarily banned him and other journalists over their coverage of the war. The decree cited "threat to national interests" and promoting "terrorist activities". The BBC labelled the ban "a shameful attack on media freedom". The authorities retracted the ban the following day.
Rosenberg also has a YouTube channel, where he has hosted his "Reading Russia" series since 2015, analysing the Russian press. The channel also features reports Rosenberg compiles for BBC broadcast news and piano videos.
In 2018, Rosenberg confronted Vladimir Putin about the attempted assassination of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, receiving widespread praise from journalists despite Putin's evasive response.
In November 2021, he interviewed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who admitted Belarusian troops "may have helped migrants into [the] EU".
On 10 March 2022, Rosenberg was appointed the Russia editor for BBC News, to strengthen coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Piano playing
Rosenberg is an amateur piano player and a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest. Whilst covering the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, he showcased his piano skills on the Ken Bruce Show, performing a ten-minute medley containing a short excerpt from every Eurovision winning song. He has repeated this medley on several occasions, including at the embassies in Russia of countries staging that year's contest, such as Portugal in 2018 and the Netherlands in 2021.[18][19] Later in the show, he took part in a "Eurovision PopMaster", narrowly losing to the author of The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History, John Kennedy O'Connor.[citation needed]
In 2013, after an interview, Rosenberg played the piano for Mikhail Gorbachev, performing "Moscow Nights", which Gorbachev sang, followed by "Dark is the Night" and "The Misty Morning", a favourite of Gorbachev's late wife Raisa. After interviewing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Rosenberg published his performance of "Kupalinka", a protest song associated with the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests.
As part of the BBC's programming in the lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Rosenberg, alongside Mel Giedroyc presented "Eurovision Piano Party". They were joined by Rebecca Ferguson, Daði Freyr (performer of Iceland's entry for 2020 and 2021), and others.
Private life
Rosenberg is known for keeping his family entirely out of the public eye, which is common among BBC correspondents working in sensitive environments such as Russia.
From a recent Broadcast on BBC
In the BBC's Moscow office we're a much smaller team now. Together we try to navigate the daily challenges of reporting the Russia story.
Producer Ben Tavener and I often face "additional checks" flying in and out of Russia. Reporters from countries labelled "unfriendly" by the Kremlin (that includes the UK) are no longer issued one-year permits. Our journalist visas and accreditation cards require renewal every three months.
Many contributors who used to speak to us are now reluctant to do so. Probably they think that at a time of heightened international tension being associated with the BBC isn't worth the risk.
Yet along with other Western broadcasters that have retained a presence in Russia we have still been receiving invitations to Kremlin events.
And sometimes I get the chance to quiz President Putin.
Even a single question and answer at a press conference can provide valuable insight into the Russian president's thinking.
Vladimir Putin is driven by resentment of the West: over Nato's enlargement eastwards, and what he perceives as years of disrespect for Russia from Western leaders. His critics accuse him of imperialist designs, of trying to reforge Russia's sphere of influence.
"Will there be new 'special military operations'?" I asked President Putin last December as a part of a wider question about his plans.
"There won't be any operations if you treat us with respect. If you respect our interests…" the Kremlin leader replied.
Which raises the question: if Vladimir Putin concludes that Russia's interests have not been respected, what then?