Under Zygar's leadership, Dozhd has provided an alternative to Kremlin-controlled federal TV channels by focusing on news content and giving a platform to opposition voices. The channel's coverage of politically sensitive issues, like the Moscow street protests in 2011 and 2012 as well as the conflict in Ukraine, has been dramatically different from the official coverage by Russia's national television stations. Because of its independent editorial line, Dozhd has come under immense pressure.

After Russia's cable and satellite operators dropped Dozhd off their frequencies, the channel's audience shrank overnight from 18 million to 2 million households. Then, Dozhd had to cut its staff in half after it was told that the lease of its building would not be renewed. Zygar was appointed to the editorship of Dozhd TV in 2010, the same year the channel was founded. Prior to that, he worked for Newsweek Russia and the business daily Kommersant, where he covered the conflicts in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Serbia, and Kosovo.

He is co-author of the book Gazprom: Russia's New Weapon, which explores Russia's recent history through the currency of gas. His new book, Putin's U-Turn, a historical look at what has led to the Russian president's domestic and foreign policy choicesover the last 15 years, is released in 2015.

Follow Mikhail Zygar on Twitter: @zygaro