Masha Froliak

I am an investigative journalist. I have been covering the war in Ukraine for the New York Times since the Russian invasion in February 2022. In my work I combine traditional field reporting with open-source methods, like forensic analysis of large troves of digital data.

My reporting with my colleague Yousur Al-Hlou launched several critical investigations into likely war crimes of the Russian soldiers committed in Ukraine. As lead reporters we identified the Russian military unit behind the killing of dozens of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. We reconstructed circumstances leading up to the moment of Ukrainian men being marched to their death. We published a companion piece naming the 36 victims who were killed along one street, and profiling their final moments. In a separate investigation, we obtained and verified audio recordings of intercepted phone calls made by Russian soldiers to their families in Russia.

These investigations were recognized with a Pulitzer award for International reporting, George Polk and Dupont awards. This work made global headlines and attracted interest from war crimes investigators.