Luke Harding

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Luke Daniel Harding (born 21 April 1968) is a British journalist who is a foreign correspondent for ''The Guardian''. He is known for his coverage of Russia under Vladimir Putin, WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden.

He was based in Russia for ''The Guardian'' from 2007 until, returning from a stay in the UK on 5 February 2011, he was refused re-entry to Russia and deported the same day. ''The Guardian'' said his expulsion was linked with his critical articles on Russia, a claim denied by the Russian government. After the reversal of the decision on 9 February and the granting of a short-term visa, Harding chose not to seek a further visa extension. His 2011 book ''Mafia State'' discusses his experience in Russia and the political system under Vladimir Putin, which he describes as a mafia state. His subsequent books include ''WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy'' and ''The Snowden Files''.