Is a Russian opposition author, video producer and journalist. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, Martynyuk is a graduate of Kuban State University (faculty of history, sociology, and international relations) in 2001, Bauman Moscow State Technical University (one-year management program) in 2004, and School of public policy of the Open Russia foundation in 2006.
In 2001-2006 Martynyuk was an officer and later a Deputy Head of the HR Department of the division of Kubanenergo OJSC. In 2006-2008, he worked as a PR-manager on a Nokia project in the company Agency of Humanitarian Technologies – South.
Leonid Martynyuk is a former member of the federal political councils of the opposition Solidarity Movement and the People’s Freedom Party. As a co-author of Boris Nemtsov, he wrote anti-corruption reports: “The Life of a Galley Slave (Palaces, Yachts, Cars, Planes and Other Accessories)”, and “Winter Olympics in the Subtropics: Corruption and Abuse in Sochi”. Martynyuk is the author of a viral YouTube channel titled “The Lies of Putin’s Regime,” which has over 50 million views.
In August 2014, when the Moscow arbitration court began hearings on the claim launched by Vladimir Yakunin, the head of Russian Railways, against the authors of the investigative report “Winter Olympics in the Subtropics” Nemtsov and Martynyuk, a representative of Russian Railways claimed: “Almost all of the Russian Railways’ negative reputation abroad is due to the defendants report. The media reprinted this report in whole or partially about 400 times, including statements about Russian Railways. This greatly distorted the entire news media image of Russian Railways. It became negative.”
Martynyuk was arrested in Krasnodar, Russia, on August 23, 2014. A provocateur attacked him, but the police wound up seizing and accusing Martynyuk of “hooliganism” (Art. 20-1). He spent 10 days in jail. According to Boris Nemtsov, this incident was staged in retaliation against opposition activity of Martynyuk, triggered in particular by his short movie “Who shot down the Boeing over Donbass?” On March 4, 2015, a complaint on the arrest was sent to the ECtHR. Since October 2014, Martynyuk lives in New York City.
