Sarah Rainsford : Early life and education, Expulsion from Russia Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sarah Rainsford

British journalist

Sarah Rainsford
Sarah Rainsford reporting from Barcelona in 2011
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Occupation	Journalist
Employer	BBC
Known for	BBC's Russia correspondent
Awards	Sony Gold Award

Sarah Elizabeth Rainsford^[1] is a BBC foreign correspondent who has reported from Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey, Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq while working for the BBC since 1999.^[2]^[3]

Early life and education

Rainsford attended secondary school in the Midlands and then graduated with a degree in languages, specialising in Russian and French, from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. As part of her studies, she spent a year abroad in Saint Petersburg.^[4]

Expulsion from Russia

External videos
Lukashenko: 'You can choke on your sanctions in the UK', BBC

Rainsford was informed by the Russian government in mid-August 2021 that her visa would not be renewed, in effect expelling her as part of retaliatory actions between the United Kingdom and Russia over news coverage.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, stated that "the expulsion of Sarah Rainsford is a direct assault on media freedom which we condemn unreservedly. Sarah is an exceptional and fearless journalist. She is a fluent Russian speaker who provides independent and in-depth reporting of Russia and the former Soviet Union.... We urge the Russian authorities to reconsider their decision. In the meantime, we will continue to report events in the region independently and impartially."^[9]

References

^ "Expelled: Russia, repression and me". BBC. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
^ "Sarah Rainsford". Oneworld Publications. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
^ Rainsford, Sarah (23 March 2022). "A month in Ukraine: 'All normal life is gone'". BBC News. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
^ "Russia connection excites Sarah". Fitzwilliam College. 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Parfitt, Tom (13 August 2021). "Sarah Rainsford: Russia to expel BBC correspondent". The Times. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Keating, Matt (15 January 2006). "How to be ... Sarah Rainsford". Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Osborn, Andrew (13 August 2021). "Russia tells BBC journalist to go home in row with Britain - state TV". Yahoo! News. Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Meyer, Henry (13 August 2021). "Russia to Expel BBC Reporter This Month Amid Simmering Tensions". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ "BBC condemns Russia's decision to not renew correspondent's visa". BBC. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.