Ksenia Parfenova, who headed the editorial staff of the publication Politika Segodnya, which is part of the Patriot media group of PMC Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, left for Spain, writing “Rotunda”.
Parfenova took up her post as editor-in-chief of Politika Segodnya in the fall of 2022 (sources say the former editor-in-chief left urgently for Kazakhstan amid an announced mobilization, according to Rotunda).
In mid-February 2023, Parfenova said on social media that she had applied for a Spanish Schengen student, submitting a work certificate. After the European Union imposed sanctions on the Patriot group on February 25, Parfenova wrote, she was sure she would not receive a visa. “But on March 1, they invited me for a passport. Incredible, but they did it! she reported.
In March 2023, Parfenova wrote a resignation letter, but, as Rotunda points out, she is still listed on the Patriot site as a member of the media group’s Coordinating Board.
Parfenova has been working in structures associated with Prigozhin since 2014, including the “troll factory” in Olgino. Having taken the post of editor-in-chief of Politika Segodnya, Parfyonova, according to the publication’s source, was “not pleased” with her work, but, like all her colleagues, “justified herself by the fact that everywhere and everyone journalism is like that.
Parfenova, judging by the posts on her social networks, does not yet plan to return to Russia. She declined to answer questions from reporters at the Rotonde, saying she “would like to pause all relations with the media.”
The inclusion of companies on sanctions lists does not directly result in the denial of visas to their employees (unless they are personally sanctioned). However, when considering a visa application, this fact, along with other information about the person applying for permission to enter the country, may be taken into account and influence the decision.