The following excerpt was sent by The Washington Post’s foreign editor Douglas Jehl, deputy foreign editor Jennifer Amur, interim deputy editor Susan Levine and Russia and Eastern Europe editor David M. Herszenhorn:
We’re very happy to announce that Mary Ilyushina will become a Russia reporter, a promotion that recognizes her essential role in our coverage of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
From Moscow and then from Riga, Latvia, Mary has reported virtually nonstop for the past nine months, delivering speed, agility and insight in helping our readers make sense of Russia at a decisive moment in the country’s history and in its relationship with the rest of the world.
Mary joined The Post in 2021 as a part-time researcher in our Moscow bureau, and she has excelled under the leadership of bureau chief Robyn Dixon.
Mary grew up in Russia and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Lomonosov Moscow State University. She began her career as an international news reporter for RBC TV, an independent Russian broadcast network, then moved to CNN’s Moscow bureau, where she worked for four years as a producer and digital writer.