Graham William Phillips (born 1979) is a British journalist, self-styled 'indie journo', documentary filmmaker and former YouTuber who, from July 2022, is under UK Government sanctions for "producing and publishing pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda about the Ukraine War".

[4][5] He then reported for his YouTube channel from Russian-controlled territory during the Donbas War in Ukraine, for which he received several medals, including one from Russia's Federal Security Service.

[2] Phillips describes himself as an "independent British journalist" and that his work is "supported by crowdfunding from individuals across the world who want to see the truth" and provides a "counterbalance” to widespread western misunderstanding of the true situation in the region (Donbas).

[11] The Court judgment stated that Phillips had "published propagandist video content which glorifies the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its atrocities, and promotes disinformation advanced by Russia".

[21][22][23] After leaving What's On, Phillips worked as a freelance journalist from Ukraine, publishing several articles, including two for the New Statesman,[24] three for the Kyiv Post[25] and three for Pravda, among others.

[28] Phillips's work as a freelance journalist in Ukraine often focused on crime, as he covered the murder of Oksana Makar, a Ukrainian woman raped and burned alive, and Barry Pring, a British man killed outside Kyiv.

[29][30] In early 2013, Phillips self-published a book, Ukraine – Men, Women, Sex, Murder, which culminated with his investigation into the death of Barry Pring.

[4] The Guardian wrote in May 2014 that Phillips had "gained notoriety during the conflict in the east for his gonzo-style subjective reports and his sharp online criticism of the Maidan protests and the new Ukrainian government.

[37] After covering the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as a journalist and England football fan, Phillips returned to report from Donbas in the summer of 2014, an apparent violation of the terms of his May release.

Phillips was swiftly captured by Ukrainian forces again at Donetsk International Airport, being held for three days, and then deported into Poland and banned from Ukraine for three years.

[42] In late 2014, Russian channel NTV released a film Военкор ('War Correspondent'), inspired by Phillips' early experiences reporting in Ukraine.

[43] In March 2015, after having covered the Battle of Debaltseve, Phillips returned home to the UK, where he was detained at Heathrow Airport and questioned by MI5 about his work from Donbas.

Phillips stated that drone footage allowed people to witness war at a 'visceral' level, and that 'the destruction of Pervomaisk was a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces'.

[73] His actions were condemned by the Embassy of Ukraine, London who called on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to investigate Phillips' "terrorist activity".

[74] In early October 2018, Phillips disrupted a press conference with Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, accusing him of being a 'NATO agent', and insulting him.

[75] Also in October 2018, Phillips released a documentary on his YouTube channel, accusing the Ukrainian nationalist politician Stepan Bandera of being a Nazi.

[77] Further, in October 2018, in Vienna, Phillips was accused by the then Ukrainian ambassador to Austria Olexander Scherba of coming to his premises, calling him a 'fascist', and attempting to provoke him into a fight.

He also engaged in searching for people who had gone missing during war in Mariupol, locating and then evacuating relatives, including the brother of actress Darya Jurgens.

[93] During the September 2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine, which were denounced by the UN General Assembly, he filmed himself at a polling station saying that the ballots were cast "in accordance with proper voting practice and procedure".

[2] He also posted an image of himself standing in front of a Russian flag wearing combat uniform as well as camouflage taken from a Ukrainian soldier presumed to be dead.

[2] On 18 April 2022, Phillips, in Donetsk, interviewed Aiden Aslin, a British citizen who had been captured by the Russian Armed Forces whilst serving in the Ukrainian military and fighting in Mariupol.

[2][97] Former British Cabinet minister Damian Green described him as the modern-day equivalent of World War II Nazi propagandist Lord Haw-Haw.

[98] On 20 April, Phillips was criticised by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and by Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick in the House of Commons.

"Let anyone serious present any real charges against me, and I'll fully answer all of them – I'm an independent journalist of complete integrity, and absolutely sound of conscience and ethics", he said.

In March 2023, The Sun printed a correction to an earlier interview they had run which Aiden Aslin, which described Phillips as a 'war criminal' who had 'taunted British POWs' and was 'under police investigation'.

[108][109] In August 2023, Phillips stated that he was taking the UK Government to the High Court to challenge his sanctions, and that in doing so he is "standing up for the rights of every British citizen...

Furthermore, it is a subjective misrepresentation of my work...I am an independent British journalist doing my best, with soundness of mind and conscience, and clearness of purpose - that is to show the truth in everything I do.

Mr Justice Johnson noted that Phillips has mostly stayed in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine since 2022, and has been given access to the frontline by the Russian military.

[111] In October 2024, in Russian-occupied Donbas territory, Phillips was granted political asylum by Russia, stating in Russian, that “Above all I am a British person.

[112] In his judgment, Justice Johnson criticised Phillips for driving a Range Rover displaying the pro-Russian Z symbol, on the Donbas frontlines.