How do you live when Vladimir Putin wants you dead?
Thats the dilemma facingChristo Grozev, a man often described as a rock star investigative journalist.
Someone asked me the other day, how many people are on Putins kill list?
Journalist Christo Grozev in silhouette in ‘Antidote’CPH:DOX
Impersonating a high-ranking Russian official, Navalny gets the man to admit details of the scheme.
Grozev is right there in the room with Navalny as the stunning conversation unfolds.
That target on Christos back got etched in pen in that moment.
Director James Jones (left) and Christo Grozev attend the Tribeca Festival premiere of an earlier iteration of ‘Antidote’ in New York on June 7, 2024Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
I called it a fatwa, the Bulgarian-born journalist tells Deadline.
And I called it that on purpose because of that being the closest analogy at the time.
This was no mere idle threat.
Or Where were you on this date?
His body was discovered in his home outside Vienna; cause of death undetermined.
Moments of levity may help Grozev cope with the ongoing threat to his life.
It does get normalized after time, he says.
So, you no longer are shocked, youre no longer stressed.
you’re free to sleep normally.
After Austrian authorities told Grozev they couldnt protect him, he took up residence in New York.
That was fine while Biden was president.
But with Trump back in office his safety in the U.S. can no longer be taken for granted.
And what is the next destination?
OfAntidote, he says, Its kind of like a fugitive film in a way but involving a journalist.
Grozev now serves as head of investigations for The Insider.
They have backed his journalistic mission despite the grave risk it presents to his wellbeing.
At CPH:DOX, the location of the world premiere ofAntidotewas not disclosed until just before the event.
But now theres no question the U.S. is not safe anymore.
Everything, all assessment of risk, is relative.
