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Olga Komleva has repeatedly participated in rallies and collaborated with the RusNews media project on civic activism. She has been detained and fined numerous times during protests. For several years, Komleva also volunteered for Navalny's Ufa headquarters.

In March 2024, Komleva was arrested and charged with participating in an "extremist community" (Part 2, Article 282.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). Investigators claimed she "voluntarily joined the 'extremist community' under the influence of FBK propaganda." The case was brought against her due to her connections to activists from Navalny's campaign.

On July 23, 2024, it became known that investigators had brought a new charge against Komleva—disseminating "fakes" about the army.

On July 29, 2025, the court found Olga Komleva guilty. She was sentenced to 12 years in a general regime penal colony.

You can write to Olga at the following address: 618400, Perm Krai, Berezniki, Lenin Avenue, 81, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-28 GUFSIN of Russia for Perm Krai, Olga Yuryevna Komleva, born in 1979.

Photo source: personal Telegram channel

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In July 2025, Vasilisa Shishkina was arrested and sent to pretrial detention. The journalist was accused of treason, but the details of the case are unknown: the trial was held behind closed doors, and the charges were never publicly disclosed.

In May 2026, the court sentenced Shishkina to 12 years in a general regime penal colony. In August, the appellate court changed the procedure for counting the journalist's time spent in pretrial detention: one day in custody was now counted as one day of imprisonment instead of one and a half.

Shishkina worked as an editor for the publication "Number One" in Buryatia. She focused on social issues, writing about violations of the rights of conscripts, domestic violence, and protests against the construction of a "super-colony" in Ulan-Ude.

The Memorial human rights project classifies Vasilisa Shishkina as a politically motivated victim. According to the First Department, the criminal case is related to her journalistic activities. However, the charges of treason are classified.

Photo source: People of Baikal

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In February 2022, Lev Shlosberg reposted a post that became the basis for accusations of spreading "fakes" about the Russian Armed Forces. Later, accusations of further "discrediting" the army arose from a debate with historian Yuri Pivovarov, during which Shlosberg advocated for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine.

Shlosberg was under house arrest from June 2025, and in December he was transferred to a pretrial detention center. In August 2026, the court sentenced the politician to 11 years and one month in prison.

Shlosberg is the deputy chairman of the Yabloko party, a journalist, and a former member of the Pskov Regional Assembly. In 2025, the Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents.

Photo source: social media

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According to investigators, Mikhailov published "false information" on the LISTok newspaper's Telegram channel about the destruction of a maternity hospital and drama theater in Mariupol by Russian troops, which resulted in the deaths of civilians. From March 20 to April 8, 2022, he published "false information" on the same Telegram channel, on the LISTok website, and in the weekly's print edition about the killing of civilians in Bucha by the Russian army.

You can write to Sergei at the following address: 658209, Altai Krai, Rubtsovsk, Traktornaya St., 23, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-5 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Altai Krai, Mikhailov Sergei Sergeevich, born in 1976.

Photo source: SotaVision

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Maria Ponomarenko was arrested in April 2022 on charges of disseminating "knowingly false information" about the Russian army. The charges stemmed from a Telegram post about a strike on a drama theater in Mariupol, where civilians were sheltering. In February 2023, a court sentenced Ponomarenko to six years in prison. The human rights project Memorial recognized her as a political prisoner.

Two more criminal cases were opened against Ponomarenko in the penal colony for disrupting the work of a correctional facility. In March 2025, she was sentenced to one year and ten months for assaulting two FSIN officers. The journalist claimed she herself had been assaulted. In June 2026, the court sentenced her to another year and ten months in prison for the third case, for a combined sentence of two years and three months.

Ponomarenko was repeatedly placed in solitary confinement; she and her lawyers reported humiliation, violence, and a deterioration in her mental health. In 2025, it was revealed that the journalist had injured herself after being treated by prison staff.

You can write to Maria at the following address: 658390, Altai Krai, Shipunovo village, Zavodskaya street, 48A, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-6 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Altai Krai, Maria Nikolaevna Ponomarenko, born in 1978.

Photo source: Current Time

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The case revolves around three publications on his Telegram channel and the VKontakte public page "Honest Royal!" He was charged with an April 5, 2022, post about the killings of civilians in Bucha, an October 24, 2022, post about a UN report alleging war crimes by the Russian army, and another publication related to Sergei Shoigu's statement about missiles. The case was opened on April 10, 2023, and Ivanov was detained the following day, then sent to pretrial detention.

Ivanov himself pleaded not guilty. At trial, he insisted he was doing his job as a journalist: providing readers with information, not "undermining the authority" of the army. He claimed his post about Bucha did not claim that Russian military personnel had committed the murders; the defense also pointed out that he cited open sources, including a UN report and international media coverage. The prosecution, however, characterized the publications as "fakes" about the Russian army and cited political hatred as the motive.

In March 2024, the court sentenced Ivanov to 7 years in a general regime penal colony.

You can write to Roman at the following address: 142400, Moscow Region, Noginsk, 1st Revsobraniy St., Building 17, Federal State Institution Pre-trial Detention Center No. 11 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Moscow Region, Ivanov Roman Viktorovich, born in 1973.

Source: Amnesty International

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Afanasyev was detained in April 2022 following a search in connection with a case involving the dissemination of "knowingly false information" about the Russian armed forces. In April, the court ordered his pretrial detention, returned the case to the prosecutor's office in November, and sent it back to court in March 2023. In September 2023, Afanasyev was sentenced to five and a half years in a general regime penal colony. That same month, the court liquidated the publication "Novy Fokus."

You can write to Mikhail at the following address: 655017, Republic of Khakassia, Abakan, Molodezhny apt., 11, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-35 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Khakassia, Afanasyev Mikhail Vyacheslavovich, born in 1976.

Photo source: Radio Liberty

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SotaVision correspondent Antonina Favorskaya (Kravtsova, also known as the FBK) was arrested in March 2024. She was charged with involvement in a Navalny supporter group, specifically "collecting material, producing, and editing videos and publications for the FBK." Investigators deemed Favorskaya's collaboration with the FBK to constitute participation in an "extremist community" (Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code, punishable by two to six years' imprisonment).

As a journalist, she regularly filmed court hearings involving Alexei Navalny, including those held via video link from the prison colony in Kharp, north of the Arctic Circle, where the politician was serving his sentence in the "parent" case of "organizing an extremist group." It was Favorskaya who filmed Navalny the day before his death, as he spoke via video link at a hearing in the Vladimir Regional Court. The footage she shot became the last video of the politician during his lifetime.

In April, the court delivered a verdict in the so-called "journalists' case." In it, four journalists, including Favorskaya, were sentenced to 5,5 years in prison for collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

You can write to Antonina at the following address: 156511, Kostroma Oblast, Pribrezhny settlement, Mira St., Bldg. 1, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-3 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Kostroma Oblast, Antonina Yuryevna Kravtsova, born in 1989

Photo source: Kommersant

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According to investigators, Gabov “took part in preparing photo and video materials for publication on the YouTube channel ‘Navalny LIVE’.”

In April, the court handed down a verdict in the so-called "journalists' case." In it, four journalists, including Gabov, were sentenced to 5,5 years in prison for collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

You can write to Konstantin at the following address: 165115, Arkhangelsk region, Velsky district, Gorka-Muravyevskaya village, Spetsgorodok 1A, FKU IK-14 UFSIN of Russia for the Arkhangelsk region, Gabov Konstantin Vasilyevich, born in 1986.

Photo source: Memorial

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He is accused of extremism because, according to investigators, he collaborated with Alexei Navalny's team and prepared materials for the YouTube channel of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.

In April, the court delivered a verdict in the so-called "journalists' case." Four journalists, including Karelin, were sentenced to 5,5 years in prison for collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

You can write to Sergey at the following address: 140405, Moscow Region, Kolomna, Kolychevo microdistrict, Kolychevsky proezd, 6, Federal Penitentiary Institution No. 6 of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Moscow Region, Karelin Sergey Valentinovich, born in 1983.

Photo source: Associated Press

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Artem Kriger was detained on the morning of June 18, 2024, in his Moscow apartment. Police conducted a search. The court subsequently remanded him to pretrial detention. Artem Kriger worked for the publication SOTAvision, hosting live broadcasts and interviewing Russian opposition politicians. He had previously been persecuted for his journalistic activities, having been arrested during a live broadcast from an anti-war rally and sentenced to ten days in a special detention center on anti-war charges.

In June 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added Krieger to the list of “terrorists and extremists.”

In April 2025, the court delivered a verdict in the so-called "journalists' case." In it, four journalists, including Krieger, were sentenced to 5,5 years in prison for collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

You can write to Artem at the following address: 172011, Tver Oblast, Torzhok, Staritskaya St., 79, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-4 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Tver Oblast, Artem Pavlovich Kriger, born in 2001

Photo source: Mediazona

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Nika Novak was arrested in Moscow in 2023. In the fall of 2024, she was transferred to Transbaikal, where her trial took place. Novak's case was reportedly classified, and details of the trial were not disclosed.

Nika Novak worked for the publication ChitaMedia, then became the editor-in-chief of the website Zab.ru. Since 2021, she has managed the "Gifted" center in Chita, where she hosts music and poetry evenings. Since 2022, she has worked as a freelance correspondent for Radio Liberty.

According to Nika's mother, the journalist was arrested for working for Sibir.Realii and disseminating information "of a destructive nature that negatively impacts the public." Specifically, she published material about how people live in -45°C without heat in the military town of Borzya.

Memorial reported that Novak supported the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republics (LPR). On February 24, 2022, the day Russian troops began their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the journalist wrote on Facebook that the homes of "residents of Novorossiya" would now have "peaceful skies." In another post, she criticized those who use the phrase "no to war." She believed such people were "slinging mud at Russia." Moreover, in early March of that same year, she reposted an image with the caption that if women were presidents, there would be no wars.

Memorial's "Support for Political Prisoners" project has recognized Nika Novak as a political prisoner.

You can write to Nika at the address 669511, Irkutsk region, Ekhirit-Bulagatsky district, village of Bozoy, IK-11 GUFSIN of Russia for the Irkutsk region, Novak Nika Aleksandrovna, born in 1992.

Photo source: VKontakte page

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Blogger and journalist Alla Dongur-ool was detained on May 2, 2024. She was suspected of extorting land plots in the capital from regional officials. She allegedly threatened them with disseminating materials defamatory of their honor and dignity.

In March 2025, the court sentenced Dongur-ool to three years and three months in a penal colony.

Colleagues suspect Dongur-ool was framed. The reason: she "allowed people to speak out anonymously, made no secret of her stance on the government, and also took an anti-war stance and spoke about protests against the war in Tuva and Russia."

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta Evropa

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Local media report that Alexandrova was detained on March 20. The FSB accuses her of publicly calling for terrorist activity and publicly "justifying terrorism." The journalist is currently in pretrial detention. After the war began, she left for Kazakhstan, publishing critical articles about the actions of the Russian authorities. She returned to Russia in 2024.

On March 31, Rosfinmonitoring updated its list of terrorists and extremists, and Sasha was included.

In November 2025, the court sentenced her to three years in a general regime penal colony.

You can write to Sasha at the address: 677901, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, B. Markha, st. Ya. Petersa, 1, FKU SIZO-1 Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Alexandra Alexandrovna Alexandrova, born in 1976.

Photo source: SOTA

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On February 15, Kornilevsky phoned an acquaintance to tell her that they were after him for posting on Facebook in 2022 about mobilization. On February 16, he was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists. The court sent Kornilevsky to pretrial detention. He was later sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

You can write to Sergei at the following address: 6622058, Sverdlovsk region, Nizhny Tagil, Kulibina street, 61, Federal State Institution IK-13 GUFSIN of Russia for Sverdlovsk region, Kornilevsky Sergei Arkadyevich, born in 1963.

Photo source: TK "Bira"

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In March 2022, 70-year-old Vladimir Efimov was arrested on charges of displaying Nazi symbols. The politician told colleagues he had not displayed any Nazi symbols. He was then held in pretrial detention for three days.

In March 2023, a court sentenced Efimov to a fine of 200 rubles in a separate case of "discrediting" the army. He was banned from publishing materials online for two years.

In November 2023, a new criminal case was opened against Efimov, this time for comparing the singer SHAMAN to the "blond, Aryan-looking Hitler Youth" from the anti-fascist film "Cabaret." In January 2025, the court convicted Efimov.

You can write to Vladimir at the following address: 683006, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vulkannaya St., Building 70, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-5 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Kamchatka Krai, First Detachment of the Penitentiary Service, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich Efimov, born in 1954.

Photo source: Apple

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He was found guilty of vandalism for writing "Putin, f***, go away" on a Lenin monument in Kasimov, Ryazan. According to the prosecutor, Yerzhenkov caused damage to the state, insulted the president, expressed disapproval of the "SVO," and desecrated the monument. The journalist himself claimed he did this to draw attention to the state of monuments in the city.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In March 2022, Anna was fined 30 rubles under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for "discrediting" the army due to posts in a WhatsApp group. This led to criminal charges being later brought against her under Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code for repeated "discrediting" of the army.

In 2023, two separate criminal cases were opened against Bilega. The charges stemmed from anti-war statements made on social media: a comment, as well as a post on Odnoklassniki with a link to the video and a comment on it. On October 6 and October 31, 2023, the Vuhlehirsk City Court handed down identical sentences in both cases: two years' suspended imprisonment with a two-year probationary period and a ban on website administration for two years. Bilega pleaded not guilty.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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Novashov was accused of "discrediting" the Russian army through his VKontakte posts. Specifically, this concerns his own text, "People with a Capital Z," and a repost of journalist Victoria Ivleva's "Mariupol. Blockade," which translated an account by Mariupol Rada employee Petro Andryushchenko about the city's destruction during the Russian military operation.

Photo source: oteatre.info

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A criminal case against Eduard Mochalov was opened in January 2025. That same day, Mochalov's home was searched. He reported on his blog that his office equipment had been confiscated.

The case was initiated following Mochalov's post on LiveJournal on November 9, 2024. In it, Mochalov accused police officers in the Morgaushsky District of falsifying documents in a case involving an insult to a local farmer's daughter in order to close the investigation. The criminal case was initiated based on a complaint filed by Dmitry Grigoriev, head of the Morgaushsky District Police Department in Chuvashia, and his subordinate, Marina Nikolaeva.

In December 2025, the court sentenced Mochalov to community service. Mochalov stated that he believed the case was retaliation for his criticism and would appeal the verdict.

Eduard Mochalov founded the anti-corruption newspaper "Vzyatka" (Bribe) in 2008, after his company was raided. In 2022, Mochalov refused to serve in the war after receiving a conscription notice and was fined for calling on Russians not to participate in the war.

Photo source: Gazeta.ru

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The 66-year-old woman's persecution stemmed from two Telegram posts: a 2018 reprint of Orkhan Dzhemal's text about the 2005 attack in Nalchik and a post dedicated to the activities of the Taliban.

The state prosecutor requested a real sentence—six years in prison. In March, she was sentenced to a fine of 700 rubles. Taking into account the time she served in pretrial detention, the fine was reduced to 600.

Photo source: RIA Novosti

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A criminal case was opened against Sergei Kustov for a February 2025 publication about an appeal from relatives of missing Russian soldiers. Law enforcement officials deemed the article defamatory of law enforcement officials and opened a criminal case in May.

Prior to this, in February 2025, Kustov was fined 100 rubles for publishing an appeal from relatives of military personnel, which, according to investigators, contained criticism of the army.

In May 2025, following searches of the editorial office and Kustov himself, the Investigative Committee officially opened a criminal case, and in November 2025, the prosecutor's office sent it to court.

In June 2026, the court found Kustov guilty and imposed a fine of 500 rubles.

Photo source: Telesputnik

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Solovyova was added to the foreign agent list in October 2021. Previously, in February 2021, the journalist was fined 10 rubles for attending a rally in support of Alexei Navalny on January 23, 2021. Police and the court ruled that, despite having identification as a representative of the Pravda Komi newspaper, she violated the rules for participating in the rally.

Solovieva left for Canada and stopped submitting reports to the Ministry of Justice. She now writes in French for Canadian media and hosts the podcast "Voices of the Forest" about the history and mythology of the Komi people.

In September 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Solovyova on the wanted list for failure to fulfill the duties of a “foreign agent.”

In February 2026, the court found her guilty in absentia and fined her 250 rubles.

Photo source: Radio Liberty

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A criminal case was opened due to the reposting of a video about the shelling of Mariupol. The video featured a soldier from the Azov Battalion who reported that the Russian army had used phosphorus bombs against defenders of the Azovstal plant.

Badmaev was previously fined 35 rubles under a similar administrative offense (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) for posting a video on VKontakte titled "Stop the war with Ukraine, and resign Putin! Opinion of public figure V.A. Badmaev."

Photo source: Aktivatika

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The case of "fakes" about the Russian army—according to unconfirmed reports, the reason was her book "No to War: 40 Stories of Russians Opposing the Invasion of Ukraine."

The case concerns failure to fulfill her duties as a "foreign agent." According to investigators, the journalist was required to provide documents to be included on the register of foreign agents. The Russian Ministry of Justice, on its own initiative, did not include her on the list.

The case of dual citizenship: she failed to notify Russian authorities of her US citizenship.

On August 1, Alsou was released in a prisoner exchange that resulted in the release of 16 political prisoners imprisoned in Russia, and the return of ten people imprisoned in Europe and the United States to the Russian Federation.

Photo source: Kommersant

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The journalist became a defendant in the "Left Resistance" case against the movement's founder, Daria Polyudova, and her associates in December 2021. He was arrested and placed in pretrial detention at the time. The final charges in this case were brought against him in September 2023. According to investigators, Kuznetsov, together with Polyudova, "developed a plan to organize a public event" on behalf of the movement to "promote its ideology, 'discredit' the activities of government agencies, and provoke clashes with police officers in the city of Tomsk."

Kuznetsov was simultaneously prosecuted in connection with the "Chto-Delat!" Telegram channel. He and other defendants were charged under articles of "incitement to mass riots" (Part 1.1 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code) and "incitement to hatred" by an organized group (Clause "c" of Part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code).

In March 2024, the court sentenced Kuznetsov to three years' probation for his involvement in the "Left Resistance." In April 2024, the court sentenced him to six years in a general regime penal colony in the "Chto-Delat!" Telegram channel case.

Since Kuznetsov had been in custody since September 2021, his sentence was recalculated using the rule "one day in pretrial detention equals one and a half days in prison." Using this coefficient, by February 2026, the six-year sentence was considered fully served.

On February 10, 2026, Kuznetsov was released from Penal Colony No. 3 in Tomsk.

Photo source: RusNews

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The criminal case against Fatyanova was initiated due to an article she distributed in the newspaper "Raboche-Krestyansky Sickle and Hammer" on May 9, 2023, in Krasnoyarsk. Law enforcement officials saw the article in the newspaper, titled "Reflections on the Nature of Imperialism," and concluded that it contained "discrediting" of the Russian army.

Prior to this, in December 2022, the woman was fined 30 rubles under a similar administrative offense of "discrediting" the army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses); she was then charged with posting anti-war leaflets.

In December 2024, Fatyanova was sentenced to two years of forced labor. In November 2025, it was announced that the court had increased her sentence, replacing forced labor with a prison colony.

Photo source: OVD-Info

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The criminal prosecution was prompted by a post in the Ingermanlandia group, which was seen as "discrediting" the liberation of Leningrad from the siege, as well as falsifying historical facts.

In June 2025, the St. Petersburg City Court sentenced Vitushkin to one year in a penal colony. Counting the time he spent in pretrial detention, he had one day left to serve in the colony after the sentence took effect.

Now he is free.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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Svetlana Khustik is a journalist who has previously collaborated with publications such as Sibir.Realii, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Argumenty i Fakty, and Takie Dela.

In September 2025, the Investigative Committee announced her arrest. According to investigators, in May 2023, the journalist wrote an article for a publication designated a "foreign agent" containing "deliberately false information" about the actions of Russian troops during the war in Ukraine.

A Krasnoyarsk court has arrested Svetlana Khustik. Investigators have stated that the journalist is free to leave the country because she holds a foreign passport.

In July 2026, the court sentenced Khustik to 1,5 years of forced labor; the sentence was counted as time served due to her time in pretrial detention, and Khustik was released in the courtroom. The prosecutor's office appealed the sentence.

Photo source: Mediazona

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Alexander Moiseyuk was detained near his home in Ryazan. According to investigators, in 2021, he transferred 300 rubles to an organization designated as extremist in Russia (likely referring to the Anti-Corruption Foundation).

Previously, in 2022, the journalist was charged with administrative offences and fined 60 rubles for publishing "fake news." Following this, he resigned as editor-in-chief of YA62.RU.

The investigation opened a criminal case under the article on financing “extremist activity.”

In May 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added Alexander Moiseyuk to the register of "extremists and terrorists." In June, a judge fined the journalist 100 rubles for financing an "extremist organization." Moiseyuk was released from custody in the courtroom.

Photo source: Port

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Since 2014, Alexander Andreev, according to the FSB, has attempted to establish contacts with foreign media and collaborated with human rights organizations, and after the start of the war with Ukraine, he took a pro-Ukrainian position.

In April 2026, a criminal case was opened against 65-year-old Andreev for treason. According to investigators, he joined a Telegram chat allegedly controlled by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and transmitted information about "information resources of a Transbaikal newspaper" and a critical infrastructure facility in the region. This data was allegedly planned for use in a cyberattack.

Photo source: Baza

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In 2024, the Ministry of Justice added Alexey Seregin to the register of foreign agents. The journalist is known for covering politically motivated trials in Mari El. His home had previously been searched, his personal information had been leaked online, and he had received threats.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against Seregin for "justifying terrorism." The charges stemmed from a comment about Dzhokhar Dudayev, who, according to investigators, justified illegal armed groups in Chechnya in the 1990s. The comment was published in 2024.

Security forces detained the journalist at a bus stop, beat him, searched his home, and confiscated his phone. Afterward, Seryogin was sent to a pretrial detention center.

In July 2026, a second criminal case was opened against the journalist, under the article on evading "foreign agent duties." The charges stemmed from a post that remained published for several minutes without the required labeling.

You can write to Alexey at the following address: 424000, Republic of Mari El, Yoshkar-Ola, Sovetskaya St., Bldg. 100, Federal State Institution Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Mari El, Alexey Alexandrovich Seregin, born in 1985.

Photo source: Idel.Realii

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In February 2025, the court sent the journalist from "Beautiful Russia" to pretrial detention.

The criminal case could have been based on Anisimov's "repeated insulting statements directed at law enforcement officers and people from Central Asian countries," 66.ru reported, citing a law enforcement source. TASS, also citing a source in the security forces, reported that Anisimov "may have participated in a campaign to 'discredit' the Kursk region leadership, aimed at creating distrust in the regional authorities."

According to lawyer Natalia Volkova, in his videos, Evgeny Anisimov criticized only law enforcement officers who had violated the law and whose guilt had been proven in court.

In April, the journalist was released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest.

Photo source: It's my city

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According to investigators, between 2025 and 2026, Oleg Roldugin used bots to access closed databases of personal data and published the information he obtained in his journalistic materials.

In March 2026, a criminal case was opened for the illegal use of personal data. This is the first criminal case opened not against the creators of the "punching" bot, but against the user.

In April 2026, Roldugin was detained and sent to pretrial detention. His home was searched, and the Novaya Gazeta editorial office in Moscow was the site of an investigative investigation that lasted approximately 13 hours. During this time, the journalist was charged with unauthorized access to computer information by a group of individuals.

In May, Oleg Roldugin's pretrial detention was changed. Instead of being held in a pretrial detention facility, he will be held under house arrest. In September, the court extended his pretrial detention until November 10.

Photo source: Echo

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The case was prompted by the video "Paint and a Booth for the Russian Ambassador to Poland," dedicated to the attack on Russian Ambassador Sergei Andreyev in Warsaw on May 9: he was doused with paint at a Soviet soldiers' cemetery.

In August and September 2022, mass searches were conducted in Kazan against journalists working for the Russian branch of Radio Liberty/Idel.Realii. OVD-Info reported that the investigation was related to the same case. Grigoriev himself was not in Russia at the time.

On November 22, 2022, it was announced that the court had arrested Grigoriev in absentia. He was also placed on the wanted list. In October 2023, Rosfinmonitoring added Grigoriev to its list of "terrorists and extremists."

Photo source: Idel.Realii

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In July 2021, Roman Dobrokhotov and The Insider were added to the register of foreign agents. In July 2022, the Prosecutor General's Office designated The Insider an "undesirable organization." Since then, the journalist has been repeatedly fined under administrative charges for collaborating with an "undesirable organization" and for "failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent."

In August 2022, a court arrested Dobrokhotov in absentia for illegally crossing the state border. In July 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs again placed the journalist on the wanted list. The specific criminal charge under which the new prosecution was being conducted was not officially announced. In September, the investigator was again arrested in absentia.

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The case was opened in connection with publications on Telegram.

The reasons were posts about a missile strike on a dormitory in Kharkiv, a strike on residential buildings in Nikopol, the 164th day of the full-scale invasion, a strike on a boiler house in Nikolaev, three thousand cruise missiles launched by Russia on Ukrainian territory, strikes on the center of Vinnytsia, his own birthday and emigration, and a Russian soldier who cut off the genitals of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (two episodes).

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Grozev is accused of helping The Insider editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov, who was a witness in a libel case, illegally cross the Russian border. Furthermore, according to unconfirmed reports, he is facing charges of disseminating knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces.

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According to the publication "Protocol. Samara," the prosecution may have been motivated by an investigation into the shelling of a vocational school building in Makeyevka, Donetsk Oblast, which the publication conducted jointly with the Telegram channel "Samara Against War."

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The cases were initiated based on Vesna's social media posts in 2022.

Specifically, the charge of "fakes" about the army was brought in connection with the publication of reports about the number of Russian servicemen killed, as well as about events in Bucha and other settlements in the Kyiv region.

The article on calls for activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation is in connection with Vesna's call for military personnel to refuse to participate in combat or surrender, which was circulated in September 2022; the movement disavowed this call in November of that year.

The charge of disseminating disrespectful information about military glory days was brought in connection with posts on Telegram and VKontakte that contained criticism of the state-sponsored methods of celebrating Victory Day.

In July 2024, the court arrested Lev Hammer in absentia.

Photo source: personal VKontakte page

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According to investigators, the journalist distributed an article on a Telegram channel justifying the ideology of a "terrorist organization" banned in Russia. The article in question was about Hizb ut-Tahrir (designated a terrorist organization and banned in Russia).

Added to the list of “terrorists and extremists” by Rosfinmonitoring.

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In November 2023, Dmitry Elovsky was added to the foreign agent registry. Since then, the journalist has been repeatedly fined for violating foreign agent requirements, including publishing without the required labeling and refusing to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice.

In August 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Yelovskiy on the wanted list. The agency's file stated that he was wanted "under an article of the Criminal Code," but the circumstances of the criminal case were not disclosed. It was later revealed that he was charged with "military fakes." The journalist himself also does not know why the case was opened against him.

Elovsky himself reported that the case was likely initiated due to three publications on Telegram: two posts mentioning Bucha and a repost of Dmitry Kolezev's publication about the 1999 apartment bombings in Moscow.

In September, the court arrested the journalist in absentia.

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The case was initiated following Marshenkulova's post on her Telegram channel following the terrorist attack against war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky. She wrote that she did not consider it necessary to "hypocritically sympathize with the death of a cannibal, an aggressor, and a former robber." Experts from the Moscow Research Center saw signs of "justification of terrorism" in it. In October 2024, Marshenkulova was added to the Rosfinmonitoring agency's list of terrorists and extremists.

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The criminal case against Bakaleiko was filed with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Bakaleiko is a native of Novy Urengoy). He is accused of repeatedly "violating the rules governing the activities of a foreign agent."

Bakaleiko was added to the Ministry of Justice's register of foreign agents in March 2023 for distributing "foreign agent" materials and making anti-war statements.

In February 2026, the court arrested the journalist in absentia.

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In January 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office designated Meduza an "undesirable" organization. In 2024, Asya Zolnikova was fined under an administrative statute for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization following a Meduza publication about the architecture of cities transformed by war.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization. In early June, the court conducted a search of Zolnikova's mother's home.

The court arrested the journalist in absentia.

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Since May 2016, Felgenhauer served as deputy editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station. In October 2022, the Ministry of Justice added her to the list of foreign agents.

In May 2023, a court fined Felgenhauer 30 rubles for failing to display a "foreign agent" identification badge. In September 2024, a case was opened against the journalist for failure to fulfill her duties as a "foreign agent."

In May 2025, Felgenhauer was charged with "justifying terrorism" for a broadcast discussing the bombing of Igor Kirillov, the head of the NBC protection forces.

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The Ministry of Justice added Stepanov to the register of foreign agents in February 2024. According to the Ministry of Justice, he opposed the war, distributed materials from other "foreign agents," and criticized the decisions of the Russian authorities.

After this, the standard “foreign agent” conveyor belt was launched against him: fines for the lack of markings, and then a criminal case for violating the rules of “foreign agent” activity.

In January 2025, the court arrested the journalist in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list. On December 2, 2025, he was sentenced in absentia, but the details are still unknown.

This isn't the first instance of pressure being exerted on Stepanov. Back in 2021, he was detained after covering protests in support of Alexei Navalny; in older reports, he appears as a regional independent journalist targeted specifically for his public and professional activism.

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Yulia Taratuta was designated a "foreign agent" in December 2022. She was subsequently charged twice within a year for failing to submit reports. From September to December 2024, the journalist again failed to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice, and a criminal case was opened.

In April 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Taratuta on the wanted list. In August, a Moscow court ordered the journalist's arrest in absentia.

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The Ministry of Internal Affairs placed the Agency editor on a wanted list in February 2025. The specific case under which he is being sought is unknown.

Andriy Zatirko was declared a "foreign agent" in December 2023. The Ministry of Justice claimed the journalist was against the "special military operation in Ukraine." In February 2024, the journalist's first report was filed for not wearing a "foreign agent" badge.

In September 2025, Zatirko was arrested in absentia.

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In November 2024, Viktor Muchnik was added to the Ministry of Justice's register of foreign agents. In May and June 2025, he was fined twice for failing to comply with regulations regarding "foreign agents."

In July 2025, Mukhnik was fined five thousand rubles for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization, Radio Liberty, for an interview about Siberia on journalist Sergei Medvedev's podcast.

In May 2026, the journalist was placed on an international wanted list. Later, a court in the Tomsk region arrested him in absentia on charges of evading his duties as a "foreign agent."

Muchnik is the former editor-in-chief of the independent Tomsk television channel TV2, which announced it would cease operations after its website was blocked in March 2022.

After the war in Ukraine began, the journalist, together with his former editorial team, created the "Ochevidtsy" project, which tells the stories of people whose lives were changed by the Russian invasion, and founded the publication "Govorit NeMoskva" (Not Moscow Speaking), which is also listed as a foreign agent.

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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against journalists Pyotr Ivanov and Ruslan Terekhov for traveling to Sudzha in the Kursk region in August 2024 while Ukrainian troops were stationed there. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has placed the journalists on a wanted list.

A case has been opened under the article on illegally crossing the Russian border. The editorial staff emphasized that the journalists were not covering military operations during their trip to Sudzha, but were "reporting on the lives of civilians abandoned by Russia."

Sota also claims that Pyotr Ivanov, Ruslan Terekhov, and a third employee, whose name has not been disclosed, were the only Russian journalists to visit the Kursk region during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation there. Western journalists also visited the Kursk region, and the FSB has opened cases against some of them for illegally crossing the border.

In August 2025, Pyotr Ivanov was arrested in absentia.

Photo source: SOTA

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Following the designation of The Barents Observer as an undesirable organization in February 2025, Russian authorities began to prosecute Zagorje for continuing his journalistic work. In July 2025, he was fined for the first time under Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (cooperation with an undesirable organization).

In October 2025, the Ministry of Justice added Zagorje to the register of foreign agents. The agency cited his anti-war stance, critical materials about the Russian government, and his association with an undesirable organization as grounds for inclusion.

He was subsequently fined several times administratively for failing to comply with the law on foreign agents. Separately, in March 2026, a court again punished him for publishing journalistic material on the website of an organization deemed undesirable.

In September 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Zagorje on the federal wanted list. The following day, it was announced that the Investigative Committee had opened a criminal case against him under Articles 284.1 and 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code and filed charges in absentia. The first charge concerns continued publications in The Barents Observer after the organization was designated undesirable, while the second concerns failure to comply with foreign agent legislation following previous administrative penalties.

Photo source: The Barents Observer

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In October 2024, the Ministry of Justice added the Telegram channel Astra to the register of foreign agents. Its founder, Anastasia Chumakova, was not personally designated a "foreign agent." However, in February 2025, as Astra itself reported, Chumakova was fined 35 rubles for failing to report herself as the head of a media outlet designated as a "foreign agent."

In late October 2025, a search was conducted at Chumakova's mother's home in Ulyanovsk in connection with a case opened against the journalist for disseminating "fake news" about the army. The motive for the case is unknown. According to the publication, the journalist's 61-year-old mother was questioned as a witness.

In October 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added Chumakova to its list of extremists and terrorists. In November, she was placed on the wanted list. In January 2026, a case was opened against Chumakova for "evading her duties as a foreign agent," although she remains missing from the Ministry of Justice's registry.

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Svetlana Larina was added to the foreign agent registry in September 2023. Since then, courts have fined the journalist five times for administrative violations of "foreign agent" legislation.

The Investigative Committee opened a case against Larina for evading her duties as a "foreign agent" in September 2025. The Ministry of Justice noted that she openly spoke out in support of Ukraine and was engaged in "fostering anti-Russian views."

In November, Larina was placed on the wanted list. In May 2026, she was arrested in absentia.

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In June 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Kuzakhmentov to the register of foreign agents.

In September 2024, he was fined 30 rubles for failing to display "foreign agent" markings on publications. During the same period, from late August to mid-October 2024, he was fined twice for failing to comply with "foreign agent" regulations. The total fines, including the fine for the lack of markings, amounted to 110 rubles. In June 2025, Kuzakhmetov received another fine, but the penalty has not yet been published and the amount is unknown.

In August 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists. In September, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the wanted list.

According to court documents, the criminal case against the journalist was opened back in December. It includes various charges under various articles of the Criminal Code. Besides the Kuzakhmetovs, the case also involves other unidentified individuals.

In April 2026, a Moscow court arrested Kuzakhmetov in absentia on charges of participating in a “terrorist organization.”

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta. Baltia

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A criminal case against the journalist was opened in March 2026. According to security officials, in April 2025, Rubin disseminated "false information" about the Russian army: on his Telegram channel, he wrote that "the Russian Armed Forces attacked a children's playground in Kryvyi Rih, not the Ukrainian Armed Forces." The Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the wanted list.

Anton Rubin is a former host of Ekho Moskvy in Samara. The Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents in January 2025.

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In November 2024, the Ministry of Justice added Dmitry Treshchanin to the register of foreign agents.

In April 2025, he was fined 30 rubles under an administrative offense for publishing content without the "foreign agent" label for a voice message posted on a Telegram channel. In October 2025, the court imposed another fine of 40 rubles for publishing a video without the appropriate label.

In 2026, the Investigative Committee of the Samara Region opened a criminal case against Treshchanin. In March, Treshchanin was arrested in absentia.

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In July 2026, a criminal case was opened against Nikolai Levshits for disseminating "fake news" about the Russian Armed Forces motivated by political or ideological hatred. The specific publications or statements that formed the basis for the case have not been publicly disclosed.

In August 2026, a Moscow court sentenced Levshits to two months of in absentia arrest. In March 2025, the Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents, and in July 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added him to its list of terrorists and extremists.

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In July 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office designated Dozhd as an "undesirable" organization. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the channel ceased broadcasting in Russia; its main studio is now located in the Netherlands. Mark Ten became Dozhd's CEO in April 2024.

In August 2026, a criminal case was opened against Ten for organizing the activities of an "undesirable" organization. In September, he was arrested in absentia.

Photo source: Meduza

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In 2021, the Dozhd TV channel was added to the register of foreign agents, and in 2022, Natalia Sindeeva received the status. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the channel's broadcasts in Russia were blocked, and its journalists fled the country. In July 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office designated Dozhd an "undesirable" organization.

In August 2026, a criminal case was opened against Sindeeva for organizing the activities of an "undesirable" organization. In September, she was arrested in absentia.

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Prokopyeva left Russia in the spring of 2022 after a search and interrogation in a slander case against Pskov Region Governor Mikhail Vedernikov, in which she is a witness.

In 2020, for a column in which the journalist discussed the reasons why anarchist Mikhail Zhlobitsky blew himself up in the Arkhangelsk FSB building, Prokopyeva was charged with "justifying terrorism" and fined 500 rubles. The case was highly publicized.

In the summer of 2023, the Ministry of Justice added the journalist to the register of foreign agents. In September 2023, the journalist was fined 35 rubles for "discrediting" the army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The fine stemmed from an interview Prokopyeva conducted with historian and philosopher Vasily Zharkov. The interview discussed the war in Ukraine.

On July 18, 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Svetlana Prokopyeva on the wanted list. The reason for the criminal case and the charges against her are unknown. Speaking to Mediazona, the journalist herself suggested that she could be charged with repeated "discrediting" of the army (Part 1 of Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code).

Photo source: Roskomsvoboda

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Izabella Yevloyeva actively covered the protests against the border changes between Ingushetia and Chechnya and the subsequent persecution of Ingush activists. In 2019, she decided not to return to Russia from a trip abroad, fearing criminal prosecution. Her loved ones also came under pressure: their homes were searched and they were summoned for questioning; the journalist herself reported threats against her children.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Yevloyeva published information about the deaths of Ingush servicemen and the actions of the Russian army. In 2022, three criminal cases were opened against her under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code for disseminating "knowingly false information" about the army. The charges included a publication about the use of children in pro-war actions, a post about the killings of civilians in Bucha, and other anti-war messages.

In the summer of 2022, Yevloyeva was placed on the federal wanted list. Meanwhile, security forces continued to pressure her family in Ingushetia, trying, according to the journalist, to force her to cease publishing.

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According to investigators, she is involved with the non-profit organization "Vesna," whose activities involve encouraging citizens to participate in unauthorized public events. In May 2022, the suspects' homes were searched, and the courts subsequently imposed preventive measures against several people, including Roshchupko, prohibiting certain activities.

According to investigators, Vesna supporters published online calls for uncoordinated anti-war protests on February 25–27, 2022. The public materials also mention the "They Didn't Fight for This" protest, which Vesna announced for May 9. Roshchupko's relatives and Vesna itself emphasized that Angelina was not a member of the movement; she could have been connected to the case through her journalistic work and political activism.

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In 2022, Goncharova became a suspect in a case of involvement in the activities of an organization that infringes on the identity and rights of citizens. In 2023, she was charged with involvement in the activities of an "extremist community," disseminating "fakes" about the armed forces, calling for activities that pose a threat to the security of the Russian Federation, and disseminating disrespectful information about military glory days.

The case was opened based on social media posts by Vesna in 2022. The charge of disseminating disrespectful information about military glory days was brought in connection with posts on Telegram and VKontakte that criticized the state-sponsored methods of celebrating Victory Day.

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The case was allegedly opened following Faizrakhmanova's speech at the "Forum of Free Peoples of Russia" in Brussels on January 31, 2023. During this speech, she called on forum delegates to create national battalions and help Ukraine, and then save their peoples from the empire.

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On January 25, 2024, Dmitry Fomintsev was arrested on charges of insulting religious feelings (Article 148 of the Russian Criminal Code). At the same time, the offices of the publication "Tochka News" were searched. The searches were prompted by posts about the Yekaterinburg Metropolitan on the Telegram channel "Irod Uralsky."

The journalist claims that the "Whirlwind" unit, which guards churches and religious buildings, was involved in his arrest. Fomintsev served as a witness in this case last winter.

On July 15, Fomintsev reported that investigators had summoned his parents for questioning and attempted to pressure them. On July 17, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Dmitry Fomintsev on the wanted list.

In July 2025, a new criminal case was opened against Fomintsev under terrorism charges. The prosecution stemmed from a post about the murder of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov in December 2024. Fomintsev himself clarified that the case was opened because of his comment, "A dog's death for a dog," on the news item.

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Zakharov's criminal prosecution became known on April 19, when a search was conducted in St. Petersburg at the home of Ksenia Klochkova, a freelance correspondent for Fontanka and author of the Telegram channel "Rotonda," in connection with his case. Zakharov is accused of evading his duties under the "foreign agent" law (Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). The criminal prosecution of investigator Andrei Zakharov stemmed from two Telegram posts announcing the stream "Wire Tapping" on March 6 and March 13.

In 2023, Zakharov was charged twice for distributing materials without the "foreign agent" designation (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). On July 17, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Zakharov on the wanted list.

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In July, Oleg Kashin appeared on the Ministry of Internal Affairs' federal wanted list. This means that a criminal case has been opened against him in absentia in Russia. The specific criminal code article and other details are not listed in the database.

Kashin was unaware of his prosecution. He assumed it might be under criminal article 330.1 (evasion of duties as a "foreign agent"). After the Ministry of Justice added Kashin to the register of foreign agents in the summer of 2022, a Kaliningrad court imposed six administrative fines on him for failure to fulfill his duties.

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Ilya Shumanov was designated a "foreign agent" in October 2022. In 2024, he was placed on the wanted list in connection with a criminal case for failure to perform his duties as a "foreign agent."

In July 2025, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office blocked the website of the Arctida project, whose founder and director is Shumanov.

He also headed the anti-corruption organization Transparency International - Russia, which was designated a "foreign agent" back in 2015 and declared "undesirable" in Russia in March 2023.

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A criminal case against Pskovskaya Gubernia journalist Pavel Dmitriev was opened in October 2025. The case stemmed from a short video posted on the Pskovskaya Gubernia YouTube channel, which was dedicated to the 1,000th day since the invasion of Ukraine. According to police, Dmitriev's speech contained elements of persuading his audience of the negative nature of the use of the Russian Armed Forces.

The journalist is now facing charges of repeated "discrediting" of the Russian army. He was fined 30 rubles under the same administrative charge in August for his anti-war remarks on his program "Double Bottom" on the Pskovskaya Gubernia channel.

In December 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Dmitriev on the wanted list.

Photo source: Pskov Governorate

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Natalia Sevets-Yermolova, a former member of the Karelian Union of Journalists, left Russia at the end of 2022. In April 2023, the Ministry of Justice added the journalist to the register of foreign agents for a post about Alexei Navalny. Since then, she has been fined several times for failing to label her publications.

In October 2024, a criminal case was opened against her, and in November she was put on the wanted list.

Photo source: Gubernia Daily

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Sergei Markelov was added to the foreign agent registry on December 28, 2020: that day marked the first time individuals were added to the list. Since then, he has been fined multiple times for failing to comply with his "foreign agent" duties.

In November 2024, a criminal case was opened against Markelov under the article on failure to perform the duties of a “foreign agent.”

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In January 2023, Meduza was designated an "undesirable organization" in Russia. In December 2024, Vladislav Gorin was fined under an administrative statute for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist. The prosecution stemmed from six episodes of the "What Happened" podcast, published between August and November 2025.

In September 2026, Gorin was put on the wanted list.

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Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Sergei Smirnov for evading his duties as a "foreign agent" in December 2024.

The Russian Ministry of Justice declared Sergei Smirnov a "foreign agent" in September 2021. Mediazona was also added to the foreign agent registry at the same time. Since the fall of 2023, Smirnov has been fined three times under administrative protocols for violating the "foreign agent" regulations.

In March 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put Smirnov on the wanted list.

Photo source: RTVI

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In May 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Preobrazhensky to the register of foreign agents. According to the ministry, the political scientist disseminated materials "discrediting" the army and government decisions, and also spoke out against the invasion of Ukraine. In September of that year, he was charged for not wearing a "foreign agent" badge.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Preobrazhensky on the wanted list in February 2025. The exact charges are unknown. They likely include failure to fulfill his duties as a "foreign agent" or "discrediting" the Russian army.

Photo source: DW

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A criminal case was opened in absentia against Alina Grigorieva in Tatarstan in February 2025. The Ministry of Internal Affairs added her to the federal wanted list.

The prosecution may be related to the fact that Grigorieva has been listed as a foreign agent since 2021. Since August 2023, she has been fined twice under the article on failure to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice (Part 2 of Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). This may be grounds for criminal prosecution under the article on "foreign agents" (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

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In November 2022, the Prosecutor General's Office designated the Riddle think tank as an "undesirable organization." In February 2025, Olga Irisova was fined under an administrative statute for participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization" due to publications on the Riddle website.

In February 2026, security forces searched the apartment where Irisova was registered. In July 2026, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against the journalist for participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization," and the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed her on the wanted list.

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In October 2023, the Russian Ministry of Justice designated Sergei Kovalchenko a "foreign agent," stating that he had spoken out in support of Ukraine and allegedly "disseminated false information" about Russian government policies.

In 2024, three administrative cases were opened against him for lack of markings—two in July and one in October. In all three cases, the court found him guilty and fined him 30 rubles. In March 2025, the Investigative Committee of St. Petersburg opened a criminal case against Kovalchenko.

Kovalchenko left Russia in September 2022. According to him, he had no plans to emigrate, but received information from several sources that he was going to be detained for his anti-war statements. In June 2025, Kovalchenko's profile appeared in the Ministry of Internal Affairs' wanted list.

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In November 2023, the Ministry of Justice declared Gubin a "foreign agent." In 2024, a St. Petersburg court fined him three times, totaling 105 rubles, for failing to mark his "foreign agent" status in publications (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

In May 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Gubin on the wanted list. The exact reason for the prosecution is not specified on the Ministry's website.

Photo source: Vmeste Media

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In October 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Ilya Kosygin to the register of foreign agents for "participating in the dissemination of 'foreign agent' materials and publishing false information about decisions made by Russian public authorities and the policies they pursue."

Between 2024 and 2025, a Vladimir court fined Kosygin four times for failing to submit "foreign agent" reports. The total fines amounted to 145 rubles.

A criminal case against the journalist was opened in the spring of 2025. In October, he was placed on the federal wanted list.

Photo source: Tenet

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The Ministry of Justice added Plyushchev to the register of foreign agents in October 2022. Since then, he has been fined several times for violating "foreign agent" legislation—for posts without appropriate labeling and for failing to submit a report to the Ministry of Justice. In early June, the journalist was also fined for administrative involvement in the activities of an "undesirable" organization.

In June 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Plyushchev on the wanted list. The exact charges against the journalist are unknown. RIA Novosti previously reported, citing a source in the security forces, that the journalist was being investigated for evading his duties as a "foreign agent."

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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against journalists Ruslan Terekhov and Pyotr Ivanov for traveling to Sudzha in the Kursk region in August 2024 while Ukrainian troops were stationed there. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has placed the journalists on a wanted list.

A case has been opened under the article on illegally crossing the Russian border. The editorial staff emphasized that the journalists were not covering military operations during their trip to Sudzha, but were "reporting on the lives of civilians abandoned by Russia."

Sota also claims that Pyotr Ivanov, Ruslan Terekhov, and a third employee, whose name has not been disclosed, were the only Russian journalists to visit the Kursk region during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation there. Western journalists also visited the Kursk region, and the FSB has opened cases against some of them for illegally crossing the border.

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In July 2025, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office announced a criminal case against Timur Olevsky. The case was opened under the article on participation in the activities of an "undesirable" organization.

According to the prosecutor's office's Telegram channel, the case was sparked by three videos, "the content of which is aimed at promoting anti-Russian rhetoric, shaping negative public opinion about the domestic and foreign policies of the Russian Federation, and 'discrediting' government bodies." The specific videos in question were not specified.

In September 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Olevskiy on the wanted list.

The Insider was declared "undesirable" by Russian authorities in July 2022.

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In January 2025, Andrey Kozenko was added to the register of foreign agents.

In August 2025, he was fined twice under Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for violating the law on “foreign agents.”

In 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Kozenko on the wanted list. The criminal case charge was not disclosed.

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In January 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office designated Meduza as an "undesirable" organization, and in November 2024, a court fined Andrei Pertsev under Article 20.33 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization.

In February 2026, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office announced the opening of a criminal case against Pertsev under Part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. The journalist is accused of continuing to work as a special correspondent for Meduza and distributing materials online that touch on economic, political, and social processes in Russia.

In April, the Ministry of Internal Affairs put Pertsev on the wanted list.

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In 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office designated Meduza as an "undesirable" organization. In 2025, Ivan Kolpakov was charged with administrative responsibility for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization. That same year, Meduza publisher Galina Timchenko was sentenced in absentia on similar charges, and criminal prosecutions against other Meduza employees also began.

In March 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Kolpakov on the wanted list. The agency's file states that the basis for the search is an article of the Russian Criminal Code, but the specific charges are not disclosed.

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In May 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist in Russia, but the charges were not disclosed. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Khalip on the wanted list.

The journalist herself attributes the persecution to her professional activities. She believes the publication of her investigation, "Frontline Industrial Zone," about how Belarusian prisoners in prison colonies are forced to work for the Russian army could have been the trigger.

Irina Khalip is a Belarusian journalist and the wife of former Belarusian presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov. Since 2022, Irina Khalip has worked as a special correspondent for the publication New Europe.

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In the fall of 2024, the Ministry of Justice added the journalist to the register of foreign agents. Since then, Vaganov has been fined five times under the administrative statute for "foreign agents." He has also been fined four times under the administrative statute for "LGBT propaganda" due to publications on his personal Telegram channel.

In an attempt to challenge his foreign agent status, the Ministry of Justice labeled Vaganov an "activist" of the non-existent "international LGBT movement," citing his work for the publication "Parni+."

In May 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist, but the charges were not disclosed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Vaganov on the federal wanted list.

Vadim Vaganov is a journalist for the publication "Parni+" and a former member of the St. Petersburg branch of the Yabloko party.

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In November 2022, the Prosecutor General's Office designated the Riddle think tank as an "undesirable organization."

In January 2025, Anton Barbashin was added to the register of foreign agents, and in June 2026, he was fined under an administrative article for participating in the activities of an “undesirable organization” due to publications on the Riddle website.

In July 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Barbashin on the wanted list. The criminal prosecution is likely related to Article 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to activities of an "undesirable organization," or Article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to violating the duties of a "foreign agent."

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In July 2025, the Ministry of Justice added Darya Litvishko to the register of foreign agents. In November 2025, and then in January and February 2026, the journalist was fined under the administrative law for "failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent" for failing to display the required label in her publications.

In July 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Litvishko on the wanted list. The specific criminal charge under which the case was opened was not officially announced. The most likely charge is Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, violation of the duties of a "foreign agent."

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In September 2022, Katerina Gordeeva was added to the register of foreign agents. In 2024, she was fined for failing to provide mandatory labeling in her publications.

In August 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist for disseminating "knowingly false information" about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces. The charges stemmed from publications on her Telegram channel, though the specifics have not been disclosed. Investigators are considering placing Gordeeva on an international wanted list.

In the early 2000s, Gordeeva worked as a reporter for NTV, leaving the channel in 2012. She now runs her own YouTube channel, "Say Gordeeva."

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In November 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Ilya Davlyatchin to the register of foreign agents. In December 2023, the "We Can Explain" project was also added to the same register.

In 2024, Davlyatchin was charged with administrative offences for failing to display the "foreign agent" label, with fines totalling 140 rubles. That same year, a criminal case was opened against him in Belarus for aiding extremism due to his participation in a Belsat TV talk show, after which the journalist was placed on wanted lists in Belarus and Russia.

In February 2026, the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Novgorod Region opened a criminal case against Davlyatchin under Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

He is wanted in connection with a Belarusian case (Part 2 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, “assistance to ‘extremist activity’ by a group of persons by prior conspiracy,” due to his participation in the talk show “Plan: B” on Belsat).

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On September 24, 2022, security forces conducted a search, breaking down the door to Arefieva's apartment and seizing the journalist and her sister's equipment. Arefieva was detained but later released on a non-disclosure agreement. The case was opened because an unknown person allegedly reported a bomb threat to the Moscow District Court of St. Petersburg.

Previously, in April, the journalist had a run-in with police: she was filming a protest by Vesna activist Lina Barabash, who hung an anti-war banner and chained herself to the fence of a military hospital on Suvorovsky Prospekt. Men in military uniform approached the women, demanded they stop the protest, and attacked Victoria, knocking her and the protesters to the ground, breaking her glasses and phone.

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The case was brought against Sultanbegova following an event held at the Taras Shevchenko monument on the anniversary of the war's outbreak. Sultanbegova laid flowers at the monument and left three plaques with the following inscriptions: "February 24, 2022 – Day of Shame," "Forgive us, Ukraine," and "Bucha, Irpen, Kyiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Izyum, Gostomel."

In March 2022, she was fined 30 rubles under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for an avatar with the caption "No to War." Furthermore, in late April, she was cited for an Instagram story featuring an anti-war drawing by schoolgirl Masha Moskaleva from Yefremova, Tula.

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The case concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces in connection with an interview given to the channel by Alexei Rozhkov, who is being prosecuted in the case of the arson of a military registration and enlistment office.

According to investigators, she conspired with Alexey Rozhkov and Renat Davletgildeev to have Rozhkov, during an interview, claim that the arson attack on the military registration and enlistment office he committed was justified and to disseminate false information about the Russian armed forces, while they and Davletgildeev would express solidarity with him.

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In October 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Olga Romanova to the register of foreign agents. Subsequently, the journalist was fined twice under administrative law for publishing without the mandatory "foreign agent" label.

In July 2026, a criminal case was opened against Romanova for "failure to perform the duties of a foreign agent." The charges were based on the results of an investigation by the Moscow Prosecutor's Office.

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The Ministry of Justice declared Elena Shukaeva a "foreign agent" in September 2022. Shortly before, she was arrested for 14 days on administrative charges of displaying extremist symbols for reposting the video "He's Not Dimon to You." In May 2022, due to posts about the war, the journalist was fined five times for "discrediting" the Russian army, totaling 200 rubles.

Following the Justice Ministry's decision, the journalist was tried several times on administrative charges for violating the regulations governing the activities of a "foreign agent." In March 2025, the Yekaterinburg Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Shukaeva for evading her duties as a "foreign agent."

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In the summer of 2024, a Petrozavodsk court fined Shtepa 5 rubles in absentia for participating in an "undesirable" organization (Article 20.33 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses). The charges stemmed from a recording of the journalist's speech at the decolonial "Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia."

In April 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added Shtepa to the list of terrorists and extremists, and a criminal case was opened against him.

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In May 2025, Atasuntsev was fined 5,000 rubles for participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization" (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The fine stemmed from two articles about protests in Georgia on the Carnegie Endowment website.

The Investigative Committee then opened a criminal case against the journalist. According to "Ostorozhno Novosti," he is suspected of illegally obtaining and disclosing tax secrets. He allegedly obtained information about customs clearance of goods and passed it on to "an unspecified group of persons." The Telegram channel claims the case was opened due to an article in the publication "Verstka" about how sanctioned goods enter Russia.

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The Investigative Committee has opened a case against Elena Nalimova, a journalist and author of the Telegram channel "Speaks Saratov," for insulting a government official in October 2025.

The case was opened based on a voice message leaked from a closed chat group of activists defending the Territory of Childhood Park. In it, Nalimova called United Russia regional Duma deputy Yulia Litnevskaya a "cynical creature." The denunciation was filed in August by regional Duma speaker Alexei Antonov. According to Nalimova, the deputies call her a "foreign agent" and claim that she is backed by "Western handlers."

Nalimova previously reported receiving threats and harassment. For example, the Telegram channel "They Also Write on the Fence" publishes several offensive posts daily about the journalist and her family. Nalimova also receives threats in private messages and comments on her channel. Nalimova and other Saratov residents are protesting the construction of a school near the "Territory of Childhood" park.

In November 2025, the Ministry of Justice added Nalimova to the register of foreign agents. In September 2026, she was charged.

Photo source: Faces of the Province

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After being added to the register of foreign agents, Vladimir Raevsky was subject to administrative penalties several times for failing to comply with mandatory labeling requirements in his publications.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist under the article "Failure to Perform the Duties of a Foreign Agent." The charges stemmed from the lack of a "foreign agent" label in his social media posts. The case materials were submitted to the court at the end of June.

In 2022, the journalist spoke out against the war in Ukraine and left Russia.

Photo source: Wikipedia

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In September 2023, Kirill Sedov was added to the foreign agent registry. In 2024–2025, he published materials without the "foreign agent" label, which led to claims from the authorities.

In April 2026, the Investigative Committee of the Nizhny Novgorod Region opened a criminal case against Sedov. The charges stemmed from publications without mandatory labeling. The journalist is currently outside of Russia.

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In December 2022, Mikhail Fishman was added to the register of foreign agents. In July 2023, the Dozhd TV channel was designated an undesirable organization in Russia. In February 2025, Fishman was fined under an administrative offense for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against Fishman. He became the ninth TV channel employee to be prosecuted in Russia.

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In March 2026, the Ministry of Justice added Marina Skorikova to the register of foreign agents. The journalist, who previously worked for Yaroslavl television, began collaborating with the publication "7x7" after emigrating and became the head of the resource center Reforum Space Vilnius.

In July 2026, a criminal case was opened against Skorikova for public calls for activities directed against state security. The charges stemmed from a social media post.

Photo source: Free Russia Foundation

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In May 2022, Igor Rudnikov posted a video of devastated Mariupol on Instagram, along with a text about Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities and the deaths of civilians. This post later became the basis for a criminal case for spreading "fake news" about the Russian Armed Forces motivated by hatred.

Rudnikov had previously been subjected to administrative prosecution on multiple occasions: he was fined in absentia for distributing Meduza materials and violating the requirements for "foreign agents."

In August 2026, the criminal case regarding military "fakes" was submitted to court, which began hearing it in absentia.

Photo source: RuGrad

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In September 2022, Medvedev was declared a "foreign agent." In late February of this year, the journalist was charged with participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization. In November 2023, Medvedev was fined 30 rubles for an anti-war video on YouTube.

In March 2025, a Moscow court arrested Medvedev in absentia on charges of "fake news." In September, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia. In October, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist and political scientist to its list of terrorists and extremists.

Photo source: Yeltsin Center

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The criminal case stemmed from a program on Michael Naki's YouTube channel, in which Naki and Leviev discussed the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the events of the first days of the full-scale invasion. According to investigators, they disseminated "false information" about the actions of the Russian army, including through videos purporting to show the destruction of cities and the deaths of civilians.

Later, the charges were expanded: the case was supplemented with points about a group of people, “artificial creation of evidence against the prosecution,” and the motive of “political hatred.”

A new incident against Leviev was reported separately for a story on the YouTube channel "Popular Politics" about a Russian airstrike on a hospital in Mariupol.

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The criminal case was sparked by a program on Mike Naki's channel, which focused, among other things, on the fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as the destruction in Mariupol and Kharkiv. It aired on March 5, 2023. Naki blamed the Russian Armed Forces for the incident.

Photo source: Naki's Telegram channel

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In May 2024, two new criminal cases were opened against Aramyan. Both charges stemmed from his online statements. He was placed on the wanted list in August, and arrested in absentia in September.

Earlier in April 2022, Aramyan, along with his Doxa magazine colleagues Alla Gutnikova, Natasha Tyshkevich, and Vladimir Metelkin, were found guilty of involving minors in illegal activities. They were sentenced to two years of correctional labor and banned from administering websites for three years. The charges stemmed from Doxa's 2021 publication of a video in support of schoolchildren and students who were intimidated before protests by Alexei Navalny supporters.

In February 2025, the court sentenced Aramyan in absentia to 10 years and one month in prison.

Photo source: Memorial Human Rights Center

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Reznik's current in absentia sentence includes several criminal charges: "rehabilitation of Nazism," extortion, "fakes" about the army, and calls for "extremist activity." The official investigation version: he published materials online denying the facts established by the Nuremberg Tribunal, discrediting the USSR's actions in World War II, and "false information" about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces. Furthermore, investigators alleged his involvement in extortion.

Reznik had been reporting on corruption and security forces in Rostov for many years, had already faced criminal prosecution, and left Russia in 2019. After the war began, he was also charged with "fakes" about the army due to publications on his Telegram channel.

Added to the list of terrorists and extremists.

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta

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A criminal case against the journalist was opened in November 2024. The charges stemmed from social media posts. Kichigina is charged with two counts: reposting an article about the events in Bucha in April 2022 and an Instagram story in August 2023, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Russo-Georgian War, in which she wrote that "20 percent of Georgia has been occupied by Russia for 15 years."

According to investigators, these publications were motivated by "political hatred" and undermined the authority of the Russian Armed Forces. Kichigina's case is the first known instance in which investigators deemed a publication about the war with Georgia to be "fake."

In March 2025, Kichigina was arrested in absentia and placed on the wanted list. In August 2025, she was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists. In December 2025, the criminal case was filed in court, and its trial began in January 2026.

In March 2026, Kichigina was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison in the first military "fakes" case for a post about the 2008 invasion of Georgia.

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The first criminal case against Maxim Katz was opened in 2022, and he was placed on the federal wanted list at the same time. In July of that year, Katz was added to the register of foreign agents.

In August 2023, Katz was sentenced in absentia to eight years in a general regime penal colony for disseminating "fake news" about the army. According to investigators, the politician published a video on his YouTube channel about the murder of civilians in occupied Bucha.

In August 2025, a new criminal case was opened against Katz for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." In March 2026, he was given another year in prison for being a "foreign agent." Along with his first sentence, he received a nine-year prison sentence.

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In February 2023, the Ministry of Justice added Sasha Kazantseva, who has over 40 subscribers on Telegram, to the register of foreign agents. The reason given was that the blogger "promoted LGBT relationships" and "participated in a fundraiser" in support of Ukraine.

Since then, 38-year-old Kazantseva has been fined three times for not displaying her status in publications (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

In March 2025, Kazantseva was added to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' federal wanted list. In September, she was arrested in absentia. In December, she was sentenced in absentia to nine years in prison. She was found guilty of "fakes about the Russian army," participation in and involvement in the activities of an "extremist organization" (the International LGBT Movement), and "foreign agency."

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The persecution was triggered by a solo picket on July 15, 2022, on Sofiyskaya Embankment, holding a poster reading, "Putin is a murderer. His soldiers are fascists. 352 children have died. How many more children must die before you stop?" The pressure began after she appeared live on the evening news on March 14, 2022, with a poster reading, "No war. Stop the war. Don't believe the propaganda. They're lying to you here." The day before, she published a video calling for a protest against the war.

Photo source: bbc.com

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The case was opened following an interview the journalist conducted with serviceman Daniil Frolkin, during which he confessed to involvement in the murders of civilians in the Kyiv region and other crimes. TASS claims that Fomina told Frolkin that she had incriminating information about him, and in exchange for non-disclosure, he gave her an interview "containing false information about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces." In June, she was arrested in absentia by the Dorogomilovsky District Court of Moscow and placed on the wanted list.

In March 2025, a Moscow court sentenced Fomina in absentia to 8.5 years in prison.

Photo source: Kommersant

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In 2024, a criminal case was opened against Mikhail Zygar for disseminating "fake news" about the Russian army. The case was prompted by an Instagram post about Russian army crimes in Bucha, which Zygar published on April 4, 2022. The journalist was later placed on the federal wanted list and arrested in absentia.

In June 2026, a Moscow court sentenced Zygar in absentia to 8,5 years in prison. In addition to his sentence, he was also banned from administering online resources.

Mikhail Zygar is a journalist, writer, and former editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel. After leaving Dozhd, he pursued his own media projects.

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Roman Anin has been arrested in absentia by Moscow's Dorogomilovsky District Court in connection with a case involving "military fakes." The Ministry of Internal Affairs has placed him on the wanted list along with former "Important Stories" journalist Ekaterina Fomina. They are charged with disseminating military "fakes" motivated by political hatred (Article 207.3, Part 2, Item "d" of the Criminal Code).

In August 2021, Important Stories was declared a "foreign agent," as was Anin himself. In March 2022, the publication was deemed an "undesirable organization." Roman Anin is the author of numerous investigations into corruption in business and government.

In March 2025, a Moscow court sentenced Anin in absentia to 8.5 years in prison. In December 2025, he was stripped of his Russian citizenship.

Photo source: Important Stories

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In early December 2022, information emerged about a criminal case regarding "fakes" about the army. On December 13, a search was conducted at Verzilov's mother's home, and on December 16, at Pussy Riot member Rita Flores's. Lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov confirmed that the search was being conducted as part of the "fakes" case regarding the army. On January 26, 2023, Verzilov was charged in absentia. On November 3, 2023, Verzilov was sentenced in absentia to eight and a half years in prison. On March 11, 2024, the appellate court overturned the verdict and remanded the case for a new trial. The following day, the homes of several artists and activists in various cities, as well as the home of Verzilov's mother, were searched in connection with a new case brought against him—high treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code).

In December 2024, Verzilov was added to the register of terrorists and extremists.

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The journalist was declared a "foreign agent" in September 2022. In October 2023 and August 2024, Kushnar was fined 30 and 35 rubles, respectively, after being found guilty of failing to submit a "foreign agent" report (Part 2, Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The exact reason for the criminal prosecution under the article on military "fakes" is unknown.

In March 2024, it became known that Kushnar was wanted "under an article of the Criminal Code." In January, the case went to court. In June 2025, the court sentenced Kushnar in absentia to eight years and one month in prison.

Photo source: LRT

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The "fake news" case: according to investigators, he published "deliberately false information about the deliberate shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol by the Russian Armed Forces" on Instagram on March 9 and on YouTube on March 19, accompanied by "false photographs of civilians injured in the shelling," citing Ukrainian media.

Case of failure to perform duties as a "foreign agent": In 2022, Nevzorov was fined twice under the article on failure to perform duties as a "foreign agent" (Part 1 of Article 19.34.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) for lack of identification. A criminal case was opened in April 2024. On July 2, 2024, the court recognized journalist Alexander Nevzorov and his wife, Lidiya, as an "extremist organization."

In May 2025, Alexander Nevzorov and his wife were accused of financing "extremist activity." According to investigators, the couple "posted links on their personal messenger pages for fundraising to achieve the organization's goals, as well as for transferring funds to them personally."

In September, a court arrested Nevzorov in absentia on charges of being a “foreign agent” and financing “extremist activity.”

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In June 2023, a court sentenced Ilya Krasilshchik in absentia to eight years in a general regime penal colony. The court found him guilty of disseminating "fake news" about the Russian army motivated by "political hatred." He was also banned from administering websites for four years.

The criminal case was sparked by an Instagram post about the killings of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, and an interview on journalist Ilya Shepelin's YouTube channel. Even before the verdict, Krasilshchik was arrested in absentia and placed on the federal wanted list.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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The case was initiated following an interview with Yuri Dud, aired in September 2022. The journalists discussed, among other things, the Russian army's war crimes in Bucha. On July 15, 2024, the court handed down a verdict in absentia: eight years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony and a four-year ban on internet resource administration.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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On June 19, the journalist was added to the Rosfinmonitoring Service's "list of extremists and terrorists." The following day, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Farida Kurbangaleeva on the wanted list. Prior to this, a criminal case had been opened against Kurbangaleeva for "justifying terrorism" (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) and a case for military "fakes" motivated by political hatred (Clause "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). On June 14, the criminal cases were combined into a single proceeding.

In July 2025, Kurbangaleeva was sentenced in absentia to 8 years in prison.

In 2007, Farida Kurbangaleeva hosted the "Vesti" program on the Rossiya-1 television channel. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in Donbas, the journalist left the federal channel due to disagreement with the way the events were being covered.

Photo source: Kommersant

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Ilya Varlamov was added to the foreign agent registry in March 2023. He does not use the "foreign agent" label on his publications, for which he has already been fined twice. The blogger continues his activities abroad. His YouTube channel has over 5 million subscribers, and his Telegram channel "Varlamov News" has almost 1,3 million.

In November 2024, a criminal case was opened against Varlamov for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." In July 2025, a second criminal case was opened against Varlamov for "fakes" about the army. Both cases were consolidated and sent to court. The journalist was arrested in absentia.

In August 2025, Ilya Varlamov was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. Varlamov was also fined 99,5 million rubles, as the "foreign agent" statute allows for the collection of a convicted person's income for a two-year period.

In October 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added the blogger to the list of terrorists and extremists.

Photo source: Instagram page

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In April 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Dzyadko on the wanted list. In July 2025, it became known that the search was connected to a "foreign agent" criminal case. In July, it was also announced that a new criminal case had been opened against Dzyadko for "fakes" about the Russian army.

Dzyadko was declared a "foreign agent" in October 2022. In June 2023, a report was drawn up against the journalist for not having a "foreign agent" label.

In October 2025, Dzyadko was arrested in absentia, and Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists.

In May 2026, a Moscow court sentenced Tikhon Dzyadko in absentia to eight years in prison. He was also fined 250,000 rubles (the prosecution had requested a fine of 5,9 million) and banned from maintaining social media for four years.

Photo source: Colta

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Ksenia Luchenko is a journalist specializing in Russian Orthodoxy, its influence on Russian politics and society, and church-state relations. She runs the Telegram channel "Orthodoxy and Zombies," which has over 27 subscribers.

In May 2025, the Russian Ministry of Justice declared Ksenia Luchenko a “foreign agent.”

In September 2025, the Investigative Committee reported opening a criminal case against Luchenko for disseminating military "fake news" online. The criminal case stemmed from a post on her Telegram channel about the missile strike on the Okhmatdet Children's Hospital in Kyiv in July 2024.

In October 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists. In November 2025, Luchenko was arrested in absentia. In March 2026, she was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison.

Previously, Ksenia worked at the Moscow Patriarchate Publishing House, was the editor-in-chief of the online publication "Tatiana's Day," headed the Department of Theory and Practice of Media Communications at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and was the dean of the Faculty of Media Communications at the Shaninka University.

Photo source: Free University

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The Moscow Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Ekaterina Kotrikadze in July 2025. The prosecution stemmed from posts on Kotrikadze's personal Telegram channel published in April 2022. In them, the journalist described the killings of civilians in Bucha and the missile strike on Odesa.

Kotrikazde was added to the "foreign agent" registry in October 2022. She has been repeatedly fined for refusing to comply with "foreign agent legislation."

The Investigative Committee also reports that it is considering placing Kotrikadze on the wanted list. In September 2025, the journalist was placed on the wanted list and arrested in absentia. In October, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists.

In February 2026, a Moscow court found Kotrikadze guilty and sentenced her to eight years in prison.

In September, the court opened a new criminal case for failure to fulfill “the duties of a foreign agent.”

Photo source: Kommersant

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The criminal prosecution of YouTube blogger Dmitry Ivanov, known as Kamikaze D, began in September 2022. A case of military "fake news" was opened against him for videos about a Russian airstrike on a drama theater in Mariupol and posts criticizing Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. That same month, the Ministry of Justice added Ivanov to the register of foreign agents, and in December, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the federal wanted list.

In May 2024, the court arrested the blogger in absentia. By the time the case was sent to court, the charge had been qualified under paragraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code: dissemination of "false information" about the Russian army motivated by political, ideological, or other hatred or enmity.

In October 2024, Ivanov was sentenced in absentia to eight years in a general regime penal colony and banned from administering internet resources for four years. In February 2025, the Moscow City Court upheld the sentence, making it final. Ivanov is currently outside of Russia.

Photo source: personal VKontakte page

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Dmitry Kolezev left Russia shortly after the war began. According to unconfirmed reports, the case was opened following an Instagram post in April 2022 about the killings of civilians in Bucha.

Initially, it was reported that Kolezev was accused of spreading "fakes" about the army using his official position (clause "a" of part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), but later official information emerged about the motive being hate.

In December 2024, a new criminal case was opened against Kolezev for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." In July 2025, Kolezev was added to the list of extremists and terrorists. In August 2026, the court sentenced him in absentia to another eight months' imprisonment under the "foreign agent" statute. Taking into account the previous sentence, his total sentence was eight years and two months.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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The Moscow Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Valeria Ratnikova in July 2025. According to investigators, she "published materials on a messenger containing deliberately false information about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces against the civilian population of Ukraine."

Ratnikova was added to the "foreign agent" registry in December 2023. She has been fined multiple times for refusing to comply with "foreign agent legislation."

In September 2025, Ratnikova was placed on the wanted list and arrested in absentia. In October, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists.

In March 2026, Valeria Ratnikova was sentenced in absentia to 7,5 years in prison.

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According to Garmazhapova, the criminal case was opened due to an interview in which she spoke about seventeen Russian servicemen being held by command in the Luhansk region due to their desire to terminate their contracts.

In March 2026, Garmazhapova received an additional three months in prison for a second case, tried in absentia, on charges of "foreign agency." Combined with the two convictions, the journalist was sentenced to seven years and three months in a general regime penal colony and banned from administering websites for three years.

In May 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to the list of terrorists and extremists.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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The first case against Baltatarova was opened for a Telegram post about the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol. The second was opened in June, in connection with an April post about the killings of civilians in Bucha. These cases have been combined.

On September 30, 2022, it was reported that Baltatarova had been placed on an international wanted list and detained in Astana. She was then detained again in Almaty on November 2, as she was preparing to fly to Bishkek. This time, she was presented with official orders stating that two cases of "fake news" had been opened against her, and was then released. On October 7, the Ministry of Justice added Baltatarova to the register of media outlets designated as "foreign agents." In January 2024, she left for France.

On July 16, 2025, the court sentenced the journalist in absentia to seven years in a general regime penal colony. In addition to the prison sentence, Baltatarova was fined an unknown amount.

Photo source: SOTA

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In April 2023, a case was opened against Maria for publicly "justifying terrorism," and in April 2024, another one was opened under the same article. Menshikova left Russia before the first case was opened. She was arrested in absentia.

The first case was likely initiated by a post in the DOXA VKontakte community calling for letters of support for those detained for setting military enlistment offices on fire. The second prosecution was prompted by a post in the DOXA VKontakte community on July 11, 2022. The editors assumed it was about the railway resistance and Belarusian "railway" partisans.

In September 2024, Menshikova was sentenced to 3,5 years in prison for each post (a total of 7 years in a general regime penal colony) and 4 years of restricted administration of internet resources.

Photo source: Lenta.ru

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According to investigators, Andrei Grishin published false information about the Russian Armed Forces in late 2022. After Vesma was added to the register of foreign agents in 2023, the journalist, according to the prosecution, continued publishing materials without the required labeling.

In early March 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added Grishin to its list of terrorists and extremists, and in mid-March, the criminal case was filed in court. The journalist was placed on the wanted list.

In June 2026, the court sentenced Grishin in absentia to 6 years and 6 months in a general regime penal colony.

Photo source: Radio Liberty

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The criminal case against Krivtsova was opened in December 2022. The charges stemmed from Instagram posts about the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, as well as messages in a classmate's chat about a student rally in support of the referendums.

In January 2023, the court placed Krivtsova under house arrest. In March 2023, she fled Russia, escaping from house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Krivtsova was subsequently placed on the federal wanted list and arrested in absentia. In August 2023, the preliminary investigation was suspended. After emigrating, Krivtsova was added to the register of foreign agents and included in the list of extremists and terrorists, and in 2024, her Russian passport was revoked.

Krivtsova currently lives outside of Russia and works for The Barents Observer. In December 2025, the Investigative Committee reopened an old criminal case against her and also opened a new administrative case related to violating "foreign agent" legislation.

Photo source: Nordisk Journalistcenter

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In September 2024, a criminal case was opened against Martynov. The charges stemmed from his work at Novaya Gazeta. Europe. The Prosecutor General's Office declared the publication's activities "undesirable" in Russia in June 2023. The office stated that the media outlet was creating and distributing "biased information materials to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation."

Also in March 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office declared the activities of the Free University, of which Martynov is one of the founders, "undesirable" in Russia.

In April 2025, the court sentenced Martynov in absentia to six years in prison. The journalist was also banned from administering websites for three years.

In October 2025, the FSB announced a new case against members of the Anti-War Committee, in which Martynov is named.

Photo source: Aktivatika

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Yezhov began his journalism career in Ryazan. In 2014, he moved to the Moscow-based Novye Izvestia, where he covered parliamentary affairs and headed the political department. From 2016 to 2020, he worked at the Sobesednik newspaper, where he focused on investigative journalism.

In 2018, he joined The Insider, and in 2021, he joined the investigative department of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation. In July 2024, the Ministry of Justice added the journalist to the register of foreign agents.

In March 2025, security forces conducted a search of Sergei Yezhov's parents, who were living in Russia. It was then revealed that a criminal case had been opened against the journalist for evading his duties as a "foreign agent" (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

In April 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Yezhov on the wanted list.

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta

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In November 2024, the Ministry of Justice added Zueva to the list of foreign agents. Since then, courts have fined her at least five times under administrative protocols for violating "foreign agent" legislation. In July 2024, Zueva was fined five thousand rubles for participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization" due to her work for the "Free Buryatia" foundation, which was declared "undesirable" in 2023.

Zueva's criminal prosecution became known on July 29, 2025, when the journalist was added to Rosfinmonitoring's list of "terrorists and extremists." She herself admitted that a case could have been opened against her for "fakes" about the Russian army.

That same month, the court ordered the journalist's arrest in absentia. Zueva was also placed on federal and international wanted lists.

In December 2025, the court sentenced Zueva in absentia to six years in a general regime penal colony for a combination of two criminal cases.

Photo source: Govorit NeMoskva

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According to investigators, Kirill Belokurov published false information about the Russian Armed Forces in late 2022. After Vesma was added to the register of foreign agents in 2023, the journalist, according to the prosecution, continued publishing materials without the required labeling.

In early March 2026, Rosfinmonitoring added Belokurov to its list of terrorists and extremists, and in mid-March, the criminal case was filed in court. The journalist was placed on the wanted list.

In June 2026, the court sentenced Belokurov in absentia to 5 years and 7 months in a general regime penal colony.

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Journalist and scholar Andrei Zayakin was arrested in August 2022 on charges of financing an "extremist organization" for transferring 1000 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

The court imposed a preventive measure on him, prohibiting certain activities. In October 2022, Zayakin left Russia, after which he was placed on the wanted list and arrested in absentia. During the preliminary investigation, the co-founder of Dissernet was added to the list of terrorists and extremists. Furthermore, in November 2022, the Russian Ministry of Justice designated Zayakin a "foreign agent."

In June 2025, the court found Zayakin guilty of financing an "extremist organization" and sentenced him to five years in a general regime penal colony in absentia.

Photo source: yakutia.info

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In April 2022, the Ministry of Justice added Karen Shainyan to the register of foreign agents. Later, in July 2023, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of "terrorists and extremists," and in August of that year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the federal wanted list.

In September 2025, a court sentenced Shainyan in absentia to five years in a general regime penal colony. He was found guilty of financing "extremist activity." The criminal case stemmed from two bank transfers of one thousand rubles each that the journalist made to affiliates of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in January and February 2022—after the organization had been banned in Russia.

Karen Shainyan is an independent journalist, openly gay and LGBT activist, former editor of the Dozhd TV channel, and the creator of a YouTube channel covering the lives of queer people in Russia.

Photo source: Current Time

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Ekaterina Barabash was detained in Moscow on February 25, 2025, after returning from the Berlin International Film Festival on suspicion of disseminating military "fakes." The following day, a court placed her under house arrest.

The first hearing in Barabash's case was scheduled for April 21, but she failed to appear. She was subsequently placed on federal watch lists. On May 1, lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov and Ekaterina's son, Yuri Barabash, announced that she had left Russia.

In March, Ekaterina Barabash was sentenced in absentia to 5 years in prison.

Photo source: Kasparov.ru

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In January 2023, Meduza was designated an "undesirable organization." Since then, reports have been drawn up repeatedly against the publication's employees and speakers for collaborating with the "undesirable organization."

In August 2024, the Ministry of Justice designated Timchenko as a "foreign agent." Among the reasons for inclusion on the registry, the Ministry cited his anti-war stance, residence outside of Russia, dissemination of "false information" about official Russian policy, and the dissemination of materials from other "foreign agents."

In May, a criminal case was opened against Galina Timchenko for organizing the activities of an "undesirable organization." In June 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Timchenko on the wanted list. In October, she was placed on the international wanted list.

In December 2025, the court sentenced Meduza's publisher in absentia to five years in a general regime penal colony.

Photo source: Nemtsov Foundation

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The criminal prosecution of Mongait stemmed from posts on a Telegram journalism channel about the attacks on Odessa, published in April 2022 and July 2023.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice added the journalist to the list of foreign agents. She was subsequently fined four times under administrative protocols for violating "foreign agent" legislation.

In August 2025, Mongait was arrested in absentia. In October 2025, Anna Mongait was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists.

Photo source: Radio Liberty

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In December 2023, a criminal case was opened against Tomsk journalist Andrei Serafimov under the article on public calls for activities directed against state security. The journalist himself attributes this to his posts in which he urged Russians not to accept draft notices or attend military recruitment offices.

In January 2024, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Serafimov on the federal wanted list. In August 2026, a court sentenced Serafimov in absentia to four years and six months' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

Andrey Serafimov is an independent journalist who collaborates with Meduza and Novaya Gazeta Evropa, as well as the author of the Tomsk Telegram channel "Barkhatnaya Street."

Photo source: personal Twitter page

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The case was opened following an interview on the YouTube channel "Popular Politics" titled "FSB Generals Arrested Because of War." According to investigators, the journalist violated the law by questioning the National Guard's readiness to participate in the war. Soldatov allegedly deliberately—"motivated by political hatred" toward the authorities and the army—misinformed numerous people about the activities of the armed forces.

In December 2025, new criminal cases were opened against Soldatov—for participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization" and for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." As part of the criminal prosecution, the journalist was placed on the wanted list.

In March 2026, Soldatov was sentenced in absentia to four years in a general regime penal colony on two charges: “undesirable organization” and violating the law on “foreign agents.”

Photo source: personal Twitter page

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In March 2025, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office requested criminal proceedings against Ilya Azar, as well as chess grandmaster Igor Glek, human rights activist Elena Rusakova, and activist Sergei Vlasov. They were accused of participating in the "Deputies of a Peaceful Russia" association. The organization was declared undesirable by Russian authorities in August 2024.

In April, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against former Moscow municipal deputies, including journalist Ilya Azar. The case stemmed from the suspects' election to the organization's governing bodies. In October 2024, Glek was elected co-chair of "Deputies," and Azar, Vlasov, and Rusakova were elected members of the Governing Council.

In May 2025, Azar was placed on the wanted list and arrested in absentia. In October, he was sentenced in absentia to four years in prison.

Photo source: Forbes

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In November 2023, it was announced that a criminal case had been opened against Kamalagin for "discrediting" the armed forces. In December 2023, he was placed under a travel ban (even though he was no longer in Russia).

In February 2024, a case was opened against Kamalagin for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." He was arrested in absentia. In November 2025, he was sentenced in absentia to three years in a general regime penal colony.

Photo source: Radio Liberty

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In April 2025, Vladimir Solovyov was fined under an administrative statute for participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization. In March 2026, a criminal case was opened against him. The charges stemmed from his collaboration with a project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which has been designated an "undesirable" organization, specifically publications about Transnistria.

In March 2026, a Moscow court sentenced Solovyov in absentia to pretrial detention, after which the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the federal wanted list. In May 2026, Solovyov was sentenced to three years in prison.

Solovyov is a former special correspondent for Kommersant. He is known primarily for his reports from conflict zones. In March 2022, along with journalists from Dozhd, Meduza, and Mikhail Zygar, he interviewed Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Roskomnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media) banned its publication.

Photo source: Kommersant

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According to the investigation, the journalist, while outside the Russian Federation, “continued to participate in the activities of an organization deemed undesirable in the country.”

Specifically, the Investigative Committee notes, in March and April 2025, six audio recordings featuring Kuznets appeared online, in which he "distributed informational materials about economic, political, and social processes taking place in the Russian Federation." The Investigative Committee emphasized that the investigation is considering placing Kuznets on the wanted list.

In April 2024, Dmitry Kuznets was charged with participating in the activities of an "undesirable" organization. The court subsequently fined him 10 rubles.

Dmitry Kuznets previously worked at Interfax, was deputy editor-in-chief of Russian Newsweek, and a correspondent for Reuters. At Meduza, he serves as a military expert, analyzing, among other things, developments on the war front in Ukraine, focusing on both the military operations themselves and the political aspects.

In August 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added Kuznets to its wanted list.

Photo source: RBC

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The Ministry of Justice added Yuri Dud to the list of foreign agents in April 2022. A criminal case against the journalist was opened in June 2025 at the request of the Moscow Prosecutor's Office. The department reported that he had been charged twice in the same year under a similar article for failing to display the "foreign agent" label in his publications.

In July 2025, Dud was arrested in absentia and placed on the wanted list. In November, he was sentenced to one year and 10 months in a general regime penal colony for violating the requirements for "foreign agents." This is his first real prison term under this charge.

In September, Rosfinmonitoring added the journalist to its list of terrorists and extremists. Prior to this, a court fined him 40 rubles for violating regulations governing the activities of a foreign agent.

Photo source: BFM

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In April 2023, Arkady Babchenko was added to the register of foreign agents. Subsequently, the journalist was fined twice within a year for administrative violations of the law on "foreign agents."

In May 2026, a criminal case was opened against the journalist for evading his duties as a “foreign agent.”

In July 2026, the court sentenced the journalist in absentia to one year and six months in a general regime penal colony and banned him from administering websites for two years. During the trial, it was also revealed that Babchenko was wanted in connection with another criminal case—public calls for "terrorism."

Photo source: Interfax

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Denis Kataev was declared a "foreign agent" in September 2023, when the Ministry of Justice added him to the relevant registry. According to authorities, the journalist's receipt of funds from a Russian NGO financed by Sweden, dissemination of materials from other "foreign agents," and participation in political activities were the basis for this designation.

In April and August 2024, the court fined Katayev twice under administrative law for violating regulations governing the activities of a "foreign agent." In October 2025, a criminal case was opened against the journalist for evading his duties as a "foreign agent."

In December 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Denis Kataev on the wanted list. The agency's wanted list does not list a specific article, but it was previously reported that it was a case related to the "foreign agent" legislation. In February 2026, Kataev was sentenced in absentia to one year and four months in prison for posts without the "foreign agent" label.

Photo source: personal social media page

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After Marianna Belenkaya was added to the register of foreign agents, the journalist was twice brought to administrative responsibility for violating the requirements of the legislation on foreign agents.

In June 2026, a criminal case was opened against Belenkaya for "failure to perform the duties of a foreign agent." In July 2026, the court sentenced the journalist in absentia to 10 months in a general regime penal colony and banned her from engaging in activities related to posting information or administering websites and channels for a year.

Until January 2024, Belenkaya was a columnist for Kommersant, specializing in the Middle East and Africa. Previously, she also served as editor-in-chief of TASS and headed RT Arabic, and now hosts programs on Israeli radio and a Telegram channel about the Middle East.

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In September 2024, the Ministry of Justice added Alexander Savelyev to the register of foreign agents. The journalist refused to comply with the requirements of the law on "foreign agents."

In 2025, a criminal case was opened against him for evading his duties as a "foreign agent." Savelyev was later placed on the wanted list.

On May 4, 2026, the case was submitted to court and heard in a single hearing. In mid-May, a magistrate's court in Krasnodar Krai sentenced him in absentia to one year and six months of forced labor.

Photo source: Kommersant

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Alesya Marokhovskaya is accused of "deliberately and unlawfully" failing to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice required by the law on "foreign agents" in the summer and fall of 2024. The journalist was added to the foreign agent registry back in August 2021 and has since been fined twice under administrative law for violating the regulations governing the activities of a "foreign agent."

In December 2024, the Magadan Region Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Marokhovskaya for repeated violation of regulations governing the activities of a "foreign agent." On December 5, security forces visited Marokhovskaya's parents in Magadan. During the search, the officers seized all their equipment. The investigator tried to convince Marokhovskaya's parents that the journalist needed to come to Russia. After the search, the journalist's mother was taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning. She was asked about her relatives in Ukraine.

In October 2025, the Magadan Regional Court sentenced Marokhovskaya in absentia to 10 months of correctional labor. She will also be ordered to pay the state 10% of her earnings.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In 2023, the Ministry of Justice declared Yan Matveyev a "foreign agent." The agency determined that he "openly spoke out in support of Ukraine, equated the Russian Federation with Nazi Germany," and "fostered a negative attitude toward military service."

In December 2023 and March 2023, a court in the Pskov region fined Matveyev twice for refusing to mark his posts with a "foreign agent" sign.

In September 2024, a card appeared in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database stating that Yan Matveyev was wanted.

In February 2026, the court sentenced Matveyev to 400 hours of community service.

Photo source: Republic

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Roman Badanin was added to the register of foreign agents, and the publication "Proekt" was designated an "undesirable" organization in July 2021. Following this, the journalist left Russia.

Between 2023 and 2025, Badanin was fined several times under administrative law for violating the law on “foreign agents.”

In 2026, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put Badanin on the wanted list.

Photo source: BBC

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Alla Konstantinova was added to the register of foreign agents in April 2022. In March 2025, the European Court of Human Rights recognized this as a violation of the right to freedom of speech and privacy, awarding Konstantinova and more than 30 other individuals on the register compensation.

Also in 2025, a criminal case was opened against Konstantinova for violating the requirements for "foreign agents." Previously, Konstantinova had been fined three times under a similar administrative statute. The most recent fine was imposed in June 2025 in the Petrozavodsk City Court of Karelia for not displaying a "foreign agent" label on her Telegram channel.

In July 2026, a court in Petrozavodsk found Konstantinova guilty in absentia and sentenced her to a fine of 50 rubles.

Photo source: European Press Prize

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The prosecutor's office requested a six-year prison sentence for the journalist for three reposts about Bucha on Telegram channels. During the trial, Mingazov admitted guilt, stated that he considered all three publications a mistake and expressed remorse: "I ask that these reposts be considered a failure of journalistic and civic vigilance."

Ultimately, the hate and hostility motives were removed from the charges. The journalist was sentenced to a fine of 1,4 million rubles. Due to 11 months of house arrest, the fine was reduced to 700 rubles. The house arrest was lifted, and the journalist was placed on bail.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In April 2025, Darya Shipacheva was detained in Moscow. Following her arrest, the journalist was transferred to Rostov-on-Don, where the court remanded her to pretrial detention. According to her acquaintances, after being charged, Shipacheva pleaded guilty to the charges.

In July 2026, the court found the journalist guilty of treason and sentenced her to 12 years in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 300 rubles. The case was heard behind closed doors, and the charges against her were not officially disclosed.

The court also ordered the confiscation of more than 1,5 million rubles from Shipacheva, a measure typically used in criminal cases involving the financing of criminal activity.

According to available information, the criminal case was not initiated for publications or professional work, but for an alleged money transfer to a recipient in Ukraine. Russian investigators and the court assessed it as financial assistance to the Ukrainian side and qualified it as treason. However, the available materials make it unclear to whom exactly the money was intended: a serviceman, an organization, a foundation, or a private individual. The assertion that Shipacheva directly transferred money to the "Ukrainian army" is currently based primarily on secondary reports, not a published indictment.

Daria Shipacheva worked in scientific, medical and social journalism.

Photo source: RIA Novosti

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Bigaev was accused of extorting 11 million rubles from Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, along with Kirill Sukhanov, Ksenia Sobchak's commercial director, and Arian Romanovsky, administrator of the "Tushite Svet" (Sunrise) channel. Bigaev claimed he was merely following orders from his superiors, while his defense insisted there was no evidence of his involvement. In February 2024, he was sentenced to seven years in prison; in September, his sentence was reduced to five years.

The incident was sparked by a post titled "Tushite Sveta" (Lights Out) about billionaire Andrey Bokarev's birthday, where Chemezov was mentioned among the guests. According to investigators, after demanding the post be removed, the defendants offered Rostec a paid "negative block." Proekt claimed that the case may have been initiated by Rostec Deputy Head Vasily Brovko, who sought to establish control over the Telegram channel market.

Photo source: Afisha Daily

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Prokhorov and video blogger Vladimir Panfilov were found guilty of extorting 100 rubles from businessman Vladimir Tilman in exchange for not disseminating negative material about him. They pleaded not guilty.

The case itself is a general criminal one, involving extortion, but it has a political undertone due to Orlets' independent status and its blocking for its war-related materials. Orlets bills itself as a free encyclopedia about Orel. In 2016, police raided the site's office for libel. In March, Orlets' website and its VKontakte group were blocked in Russia at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office for publishing materials about the war with Ukraine.

Photo source: First Department

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Panfilov and journalist Artem Prokhorov were found guilty of extorting 100 rubles from businessman Vladimir Tilman in exchange for not disseminating negative material about him. They pleaded not guilty.

In court, Panfilov stated: "I was stripped of my profession because returning to journalism in my current situation no longer makes sense. I consider myself innocent of the crime I'm accused of, but that makes it even more difficult for me emotionally."

The case itself is a general criminal one, involving extortion, but it has a political undertone due to Orlets' independent status and its blocking for its war-related materials. Orlets bills itself as a free encyclopedia about Orel. In 2016, police raided the site's office for libel. In March, Orlets' website and its VKontakte group were blocked in Russia at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office for publishing materials about the war with Ukraine.

Photo source: personal VKontakte page

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On the first day of partial mobilization, September 22, 2022, an NGS24 film crew was recording comments from visitors in the lobby of the military enlistment office in Krasnoyarsk's Sovietsky and Centralny districts. A man in camouflage entered the hall and demanded that the journalist follow him through the turnstile. He filed a complaint against Shelkovnikova, accusing her of assault and causing physical pain.

A Krasnoyarsk court found the journalist guilty of using violence against a government official that did not pose a threat to life or health (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code). She was sentenced to three years of forced labor.

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta

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Arian Romanovsky, also known by his last name Kuzmin, was accused of extorting 11 million rubles from Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, along with Kirill Sukhanov and Tamerlan Bigaev. Romanovsky, the former editor-in-chief of Russian Tatler and head of the "Tushite Svet" (Lights Out) channel, denied the charges, claiming he only published the material and was not involved in the money negotiations.

The incident was sparked by a post about billionaire Andrei Bokarev's birthday, in which Chemezov was mentioned among the guests. According to investigators, the defendants suggested deleting the post and installing a paid "negative content blocker." In February 2024, Romanovsky was sentenced to seven years in prison, later reduced to five years. He was released in May 2026.

"Proekt" linked this and other cases against Telegram channel administrators to Rostec top manager Vasily Brovko and an attempt to bring the channel market under government control.

Photo source: RBC

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In November 2023, a court sentenced Bayazitova and media technologist Olga Arkharova to five and four and a half years in prison for extorting money from Promsvyazbank top manager Alexander Ushakov. Bayazitova and Arkharova were arrested in August 2022. According to the prosecution, they demanded money for a "negative block," meaning the absence of negative information about Ushakov in Telegram channels. Bayazitova pleaded not guilty.

In the 2010s, she worked for Kommersant, Izvestia, and Life.ru, where she wrote about economics. She began running an economics blog on YouTube and a Telegram channel of the same name in 2017. Her Telegram channel, among other things, claimed that "at one time" Bayazitova "was kicked out of the Central Bank's journalist pool for refusing to approve articles." Her blog contained numerous critical statements directed at Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina. Former Baza editor-in-chief Nikita Mogutin is convinced of Bayazitova's innocence, believing that extortion is completely inconsistent with Alexandra herself.

The publication "Proekt" claimed that Vasily Brovko, Director for Special Assignments at the state corporation Rostec and husband of media producer Tina Kandelaki, was involved in these and other extortion cases against Telegram channel administrators. The goal: "redividing the Telegram channel market" and bringing them under government control.

In July 2026, Alexandra Bayazitova was released after four years in prison.

Photo source: Moskovsky Komsomolets

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According to investigators, Smirnov conspired with his acquaintance, former journalist Natalya Smolyaninova, and Alexey Frolov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta-Ryazan, to write several articles in 2024 about Alexey Rogotovsky, the head of a commercial organization in the Ryazan region and CEO of the Ryazan Capital Repairs Fund. These articles, according to investigators, contained information that defamatory and damaged Rogotovsky's honor and dignity. The Yabloko party believes Smirnov's arrest was "revenge for his active parliamentary and political work."

Smirnov, Frolov, and Smolyaninova were arrested on January 30, 2025. Following investigative actions, the court sent Smirnov and Frolov to pretrial detention, and Smolyaninova to house arrest.

You can write to Konstantin at the following address: 390013, Ryazan, Pervomaysky Prospekt, 27B, FKU SIZO-1 UFSIN of Russia for the Ryazan Region, Smirnov Konstantin Mikhailovich, born June 1, 1981.

Photo source: Apple

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Sergei Shumakov was arrested in February 2026. He was accused of co-operating with Yevgeny Krotenko, founder of Russian Press, in offering businessman Sergei Weinstein 300 rubles to remove information about him from his media resources.

In March 2026, local media reported on two more criminal cases under the same article, where investigators linked Shumakov and Krotenko to extortion cases of 1 million and 1,1 million rubles in 2021 and 2023.

In recent years, Shumakov has worked independently, administering a network of anonymous Telegram channels (the identity of these channels is not disclosed in open sources).

The political context is not explicit, but it is present: Shumakov was a political Telegram player, the publications concerned officials, security forces, and businesses, and the second defendant, Krotenko, was designated a "foreign agent" by the Ministry of Justice.

Photo source: KP-Chelyabinsk

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According to investigators, Komarov demanded 300,000 rubles from Ryazan lawyer Alexei Chaikovsky, threatening to publish information defamatory of his honor. He allegedly received 100,000 rubles through an information services contract with a company.

On July 24, 2025, the court sent Komarov to pretrial detention. At the trial, Komarov testified to the harsh detention and his cooperation with the investigation. He pleaded not guilty.

Photo source: Ryazan News Feed

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Investigators allege that Mikhail Serenko and an accomplice extorted six million rubles from the head of a commercial organization by threatening to disseminate defamatory information on the "Freedom Island" Telegram channel.

In addition, Serenko was charged with publishing defamatory materials about government officials and public figures, insulting a government official, rehabilitating Nazism, illegally trafficking pornographic materials, and coercing someone into sexual acts.

In July 2026, the prosecutor's office approved the indictment and sent the case to court. The prosecutor's office claims Serenko pleaded guilty. The trial is closed, and the defense's position has not been published.

The political motive for the prosecution is not obvious, but it is possible: Serenko was an influential source of regional compromising information and regularly clashed with officials, deputies, heads of state-owned enterprises, and big business.

Serenko publicly supported the war and in March 2024 received the Ministry of Defense's medal "For Aid and Mercy" for his contribution to supporting the SVO.

Photo source: Kommersant

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According to investigators, between 2020 and 2025, Alina Dzhikaeva paid a police officer to obtain intelligence reports on incidents in Dagestan and North Ossetia containing personal information. The total amount, according to investigators, exceeded 250 rubles.

In April 2026, Dzhikaeva was detained in Moscow. During the same period, security forces conducted a search of the Sapa editorial office in Vladikavkaz, after which several employees were taken in for questioning and subsequently released.

In July, she alleged pressure and attempts to force her to give false testimony.

"Sapa" is a network of independent Telegram news channels about the North Caucasus. The case against Dzhikayeva is connected to a similar case against employees of the Telegram channel "Baza," opened last summer, according to the pro-government news agency TASS.

Photo source: social media

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A criminal case against Olga Voronina was opened in late April 2026 following the publication of material about corruption involving Tyumen Oblast Governor Alexander Moor and United Russia General Council Secretary Vladimir Yakushev.

According to investigators, after the businessman demanded the publications be removed, Voronina demanded three million rubles from him for their removal and forbidding further publication. In late May 2026, the journalist was detained while handing over the money, charged with defamation and extortion, and sent to pretrial detention.

The editors of Park.72 believe the criminal prosecution is an attempt to shut down the independent publication, which published investigations into Tyumen officials.

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Alexey Frolov was detained on January 30, 2025. Also detained were Yabloko deputy and editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel "View from the Side," Konstantin Smirnova, and journalist Natalya Smolyaninova, whom security officials identified as an accomplice of Frolov and Smirnov.

According to investigators, Frolov, along with Simrnov and Smolyaninova, wrote several articles about Alexey Rogotovsky, the head of a commercial organization in the Ryazan region and the CEO of the Ryazan Capital Repairs Fund. These texts, according to investigators, contained information that damaged his reputation. They then allegedly demanded payment to stop publishing such articles, taking 300 rubles for doing so.

Following the investigative actions, the court sent Frolov and Smirnov to pretrial detention, and Smolyaninova to house arrest.

Photo source: Novaya Gazeta

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Smolyaninova was arrested on January 30, 2025, along with Yabloko party deputy and editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel "Vid sboka" (Side View) Konstantin Smirnov and editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta - Ryazan" Alexey Frlov. All three were accused of extorting 300 rubles from Alexey Rogotovsky, acting general director of the Ryazan Capital Repairs Fund.

According to investigators, Smolyaninova, along with Frolov and Smirnov, wrote several articles about Rogotovsky in 2024, which contained information that defamatory and damaging to his honor and dignity. According to media reports, Smolyaninova gave a detailed testimony and described a meeting with the victim, who gave her 100 rubles. She allegedly intended to give this sum to Frolov.

Following the investigative actions, the court sent Smirnov to a pre-trial detention facility, and Smolyaninova and Frolov were placed under house arrest.

Formally, the case is about extortion, but Smirnov himself and Yabloko link the prosecution to his campaign against municipal reform and the liquidation of rural settlements in the Ryazan region.

Photo source: Ryazan News

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In September 2025, Yevgeny Krotenko was added to the foreign agent registry for collaborating with foreign countries, disseminating false information about the Russian Federation, and "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces. At the time of his inclusion on the registry, the journalist resided outside of Russia.

In February 2026, Krotenko was accused of co-operating with journalist Sergei Shumakov in offering businessman Sergei Weinstein 300 rubles to remove information about him from his media outlets. The court sentenced the journalist in absentia.

The political motivation of the case is debatable. Formally, the criminal case is about extortion, but the context is media activity, foreign agent status, and conflict over publications.

Photo source: Ura.ru

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A criminal case was opened against Iskander Siradzhi for disseminating information about a person's private life without their consent. According to law enforcement, a film Siradzhi released several years ago contained information about the residence, family, and income of local residents. Siradzhi was covering the case of local resident Ibragim Zakiev, accused of murders committed 20 years ago.

On October 9, security forces searched Siradzhi's home and newspaper office. They confiscated all his equipment and took him to the Investigative Committee for questioning. He was then placed in a temporary detention center, where he declared a hunger strike. He was subsequently released and is now a suspect.

Last November, Iskander Siradzhi's home was also searched. They were related to the criminal case against Idel.Realii employee Alsu Kurmasheva, who had already been released in a prisoner exchange. His equipment was also seized.

Photo source: Idel.Realii

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The data on the first episode was collected by the Investigative Committee of St. Petersburg and concerns statements from July 17, 2023, to February 7, 2024 (from the day of the drone attack on the Crimean Bridge to discussions of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall).

The content of the posts that formed the basis for the second episode (regarding participation in a "terrorist group") is unknown. Skobov's wife suggests they are related to the activities of an organization listed as undesirable in Russia.

Alexander Skobov is known for his harsh radical rhetoric, support for armed resistance to the Russian state, and public approval of individual attacks on Russia's military and infrastructure systems.

You can write to Alexander at the following address: 399783, Lipetsk Region, Yelets, Proletarskaya Street, Building 1B, Federal State Institution Prison No. 2 of the Federal Penitentiary Service for Lipetsk Region, Alexander Valerievich Skobov, born in 1957.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In October 2024, Andrei Vitovtov was convicted of "justifying terrorism" for two posts on the Telegram channel "Ice Under the Major's Legs." One concerned the assassination attempt on Zakhar Prilepin, the other the drone strike on the Moscow City building.

In March 2025, a new criminal case was opened against him. He was charged with several counts of "justifying terrorism" and treason. The grounds for the treason charges were not disclosed. According to his relatives, the charges may have involved donations to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In April 2026, a military court sentenced Vitovtov to 16 years in prison for the combined sentences. He was to serve the first five years in prison, and was also fined and banned from internet administration.

Photo source: Memorial. Support for political prisoners

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Yakunichev ran a YouTube channel about police and judicial abuse, "Infinity Is Not the Limit" (at the time, the channel had 97 subscribers). The criminal case was prompted by videos about Russian military crimes in Bucha, the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, and the activities of the "Freedom of Russia" Legion, which Yakunichev posted on his VKontakte page in 2022-2023.

In September 2025, the court sentenced the blogger to 12 years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

Photo source: Memorial

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According to investigators, Nozdrinov published false information on the Telegram channel "SANYA Novokubansk." The case was opened after a post featuring a photograph of a destroyed high-rise building in Kyiv and the caption "Ukrainian cities after the arrival of the liberators." Investigators believe Nozdrinov received a thousand rubles for the post.

You can write to Alexander at the following address: 352680, Krasnodar Krai, Apsheronsky District, Khadyzhensk, Griboyedov Street, 42, Federal Penitentiary Institution IK-9 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Krasnodar Krai, Nozdrinov Alexander Anatolyevich, born in 1985.

Photo source: SotaVision

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The blogger was convicted of "discrediting" the Russian army for a video titled "Don't Confuse Germans with Nazis, and Russians with Putinists." Initially, Veselov was also charged with rehabilitating Nazism for this video, but the investigation dropped this charge.

As part of the same case, Veselov is also being prosecuted for several other counts that security officials consider "discrediting" the army. All of them are related to YouTube videos. One of the videos was titled "Water is wet, grass is green, the sky is blue, people kill in war." Another count involves a recording of Veselov's speech in court, where an appeal was being heard in an administrative case alleging "discrediting" the army.

The blogger first faced criminal prosecution in March 2022, when a vandalism case was opened against him for writing "No to War" on the city administration building. The case for insulting a judge was brought against the blogger for his video, "What's Happening to the Russian Judicial System?", in which he called a judge a "patented idiot."

In February 2025, the court sentenced Veselov to seven years in a general regime penal colony for "calls to terrorism" and "confidential cooperation with a foreign state." Combined with previous convictions, the total sentence was eight years in prison. The charges stemmed from a repost calling for people to join the "Freedom of Russia" legion and the Russian Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, as well as correspondence that investigators linked to Ukrainian intelligence.

You can write to Igor at the following address: 155644, Ivanovo Region, Yuzhsky District, Talitsy village, Shkolnaya Street, 10, Federal State Institution “Iktor No. 6 UFSIN for Ivanovo Region”, Veselov Sergey Vladimirovich, born in 1970.

Photo source: Like this

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Blogger Vadim Kharchenko recorded videos criticizing local and federal politicians. In January 2023, he was added to the foreign agent registry. On February 20, 2023, Kharchenko's acquaintances expressed fear for his life, noting that he had been out of contact for two weeks. On March 1, it was reported that Kharchenko had been arrested and was under investigation for "discrediting" the Russian army for publishing a video on his YouTube channel.

Initially, the man was placed under house arrest, but later, despite his asthma and a third-degree disability, he was transferred to a pretrial detention center. In February 2024, Kharchenko's case began in court. He was also charged with three counts of repeated "discrediting" of the army, four counts of slander, one count of inciting extremism online, and one count of insulting religious feelings.

In October 2024, the lawyer who defended the blogger was also sent to pretrial detention. She was accused of interfering with the privacy of a Gelendzhik City Court judge. According to the lawyer, the criminal case was opened to disbar her and leave the person accused of "discrediting" Kharchenko's army without a defense.

In March 2025, the court sentenced Kharchenko to 7 years in prison.

You can write to Vadim at the following address: 33 Parkhomenko St., Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, 353905, Federal State Institution Pre-trial Detention Center No. 3 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Krasnodar Krai, Vadim Mikhailovich Kharchenko, born in 1983.

Photo source: Sota Vision

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At the beginning of the "hybrid war" in southeastern Ukraine, Andrei Kurshin fought on the side of the self-proclaimed "DPR" and went by the call sign "Moscow." He later adopted a more moderate stance and created the Telegram channel "Moscow Calling," in which he criticized both the Russian and Ukrainian military commands.

Kurshin's criminal prosecution became known in late August 2023. He was detained on the street, and the court placed him under house arrest. The prosecution stemmed from two posts published on the Moscow Calling channel in the fall of 2022. In one, Kurshin called the attack on Kryvyi Rih "a war crime by the Russian Federation," and in the second, he commented on the shelling of a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhia region.

Photo source: Kommersant

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Tretyakov left Russia in 2022 after the military mobilization was announced, began traveling around Kazakhstan on a motorcycle, and talked about it on social media. It's unclear exactly when and under what circumstances he was detained. His social media stopped updating in the fall of 2023. In comments on a YouTube video from last year, consisting of archival photos, users report that Tretyakov was detained by FSB officers after he came to Russia to help his daughter when she was ill. He was sent to a pretrial detention center in Perm. He awaited trial in a pretrial detention center in Yekaterinburg.

According to the prosecution, Tretyakov published videos on his social media accounts "containing a public justification for the explosion on the Crimean Bridge on October 8, 2022." The case materials were submitted to the court in August 2024, and in October, the blogger was added to the Rosfinmonitoring Service's list of "extremists and terrorists." In January 2025, the court sentenced him to six years in prison.

Photo source: Support for political prisoners. Memorial

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In June 2025, Syutkin's home was searched and his equipment was seized. In October, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case and arrested him. Investigators linked the charges to posts on his personal Telegram channel about Russian military actions against Ukrainian civilians; an RBC source clarified that the post in question was about Bucha. The following day, the court sent Syutkin to pretrial detention. Rosfinmonitoring added him to its list of terrorists and extremists.

In September 2026, the court sentenced him to six years in a general regime penal colony; the prosecution had requested eight. Syutkin pleaded not guilty.

Photo source: Moscow24

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The criminal case was initiated following a post on his Telegram channel, "Hussar Bravado," in which the author, among other things, expressed his opinion about the murder of Vladlen Tatarsky.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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Natalia Lazarieva runs a YouTube channel with an audience of over 40 people and covers political events in Russia.

In the summer of 2024, she published a post on her Telegram channel criticizing the commemorative events for the Day of Mourning on June 22. According to investigators, her post "fostered a negative attitude toward the commemorative events among citizens and advocated for not participating in them."

In another post, Lazarieva reposted a Telegram channel, "Svetlana Lada-Rus," which claimed that Russians were "systematically prepared and warned that bombs would fall," and that the authorities had passed a "mass grave law back in 2021" to this end.

These publications became the basis for the accusations.

You can write to Natalia at the following address: Federal State Institution Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Bashkortostan, 450052, Ufa, Dostoevsky Street, 39, Natalia Alekseevna Lazaricheva, born August 5, 1976.

Photo source: Idel.Realii

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Until 2026, Remeslo was known as a pro-government blogger who had been criticizing the Russian opposition for many years. He was also a serial informer: for years, the blogger wrote appeals and statements to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor's Office, and other agencies against opposition politicians and activists, primarily Alexei Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation. He made no secret of this and presented it as principled civic work. The most famous example is the "defamation of a veteran" case against Navalny.

However, on March 17, 2026, he published a lengthy text, "Five Reasons Why I Stopped Supporting Vladimir Putin." In it, he accused Putin of starting the war, damaging the Russian economy, destroying media and internet freedom, and usurping power; he then continued publishing critical materials. A few days after these publications, Remeslo was admitted to a St. Petersburg psychiatric hospital and spent about a month there. After his discharge, he continued to criticize the Russian authorities.

In mid-July, security forces detained Remeslo in his St. Petersburg apartment and brought him to Moscow. His lawyer stated that the criminal case was related specifically to the March manifesto. That same day, the Basmanny Court remanded him to pretrial detention on charges under paragraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code. RBC

By the end of August, the investigation had been completed and the case was referred to court.

Photo source: personal social media page

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In November 2022, Mikhail Svetov was added to the foreign agent registry. He has since been fined at least five times under administrative law for violating foreign agent regulations. In 2023, Svetov was also placed on the federal wanted list in connection with another criminal case – the rehabilitation of Nazism. According to Russian state media, the reason for this was a song about Stepan Bandera.

In June 2026, it was announced that a new criminal case had been opened against Svetov for "failure to perform the duties of a foreign agent." That same month, the court ordered the blogger's arrest in absentia.

Photo source: Cold

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Mikhail Sheitelman runs a political blog on YouTube, where he regularly posts overviews of political events. His channel has over 700 subscribers. In February 2025, the Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents.

In May 2026, it became known that the blogger was wanted for military "fakes" and "justifying terrorism." That same month, a court ordered Sheitelman's arrest in absentia.

In February 2025, the Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents.

Photo source: Israeli magazine

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According to investigators, on April 3, he posted information on his Telegram channel, "Nosov's List," about the murder of civilians in Bucha and Irpen by Russian military personnel, as well as a video in which he accused the Russian authorities of genocide against Ukrainian civilians.

Photo source: personal VKontakte page

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Shitik is suspected of disseminating "deliberately false information" about the financing of the Russian army, civilian casualties in Ukraine, and crimes in Bucha.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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The reason for this was an article from August 14, 2022, in which the blogger analyzed documents regarding payments to participants in the special operation. According to Snegirev, the funds for these payments could have been taken from the regional budget, which is in short supply.

Photo source: 7×7

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In July 2025, the Ministry of Justice added Dmitry the Great to the register of foreign agents, accusing him of financing the Ukrainian army. In August 2025, he was fined under the administrative law for affiliation with an "undesirable" organization for posts on the Telegram channel "Stop War Crime"—posts with links to Meduza and The Moscow Times, as well as mentions of The Insider and SOTAproject.

In October, November, and December 2025, Velikiy was brought to administrative responsibility three times for violating regulations on "foreign agents." In January 2026, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed the blogger on the wanted list.

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In January 2023, blogger Anton Pikuli (Anton Ustimov) was added to the list of foreign agents. The Ministry of Justice then noted that Pikuli had raised money for Ukraine and called for violations of the law and opposition to the current government. Subsequently, the blogger was fined four times under administrative protocols for failure to comply with "foreign agent" legislation. In August 2025, he was added to the federal wanted list on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website.

Anton Pikuli runs his own YouTube channel, which has over 300 subscribers. There, he posts reviews of Russian films and comments on political events. Pikuli is also one of the hosts of the channel "Conversational Genre," where comedians discuss political events in Russia. He also hosted the YouTube channel "Navalny LIVE" for a while. He also performs stand-up comedy.

Photo source: YouTube channel screenshot

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In 2021, Yaroslav Konvey left Russia after protests in support of Alexei Navalny. In 2024, the human rights project "First Department," with which Konvey was associated, was added to the register of foreign agents.

Between 2024 and 2025, the blogger was fined four times under Article 19.34 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses as a "participant" in a foreign agent organization. The charges stemmed from posts on his Telegram channel, videos on YouTube, and materials on the First Department website.

In 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Conway on the federal wanted list. The criminal case article is not listed in the file.

Photo source: MBKh Media

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The prosecution may have stemmed from Aytashev's messages in the "Mountain Altai. Discussion" Telegram chat, where he corresponded with a participant in the war in Ukraine. He had previously been fined twice under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and was issued an official warning of possible criminal prosecution (under Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) in the event of a third offense. The fines were triggered by a repost of Arnold Schwarzenegger's address about the devastating consequences of war and a repost from historian Kamil Galeev's channel about the devastating consequences of mobilization for Russians.

Photo source: personal VKontakte page

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In 2021, an unknown person in Prokhladny spread false information about the activities of businesswoman Zhanna Makhova from the Oryol region. Police in Prokhladny received information that Anastasia Yemelyanova was involved in the case. Yemelyanova's home was searched. Approximately 20 security officers conducted the search, and two laptops and a phone were seized.

Anastasia Yemelyanova has published various videos, including those related to current affairs. Specifically, she demanded the release of Alexei Navalny. Her channel has over 13 subscribers.

Yemelyanova connects the case with her civic and anti-war position.

Photo source: personal Instagram page

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In Russia, Murzagulov was known as a political strategist who worked with three heads of Bashkortostan—Murzata Rakhimov, Rustem Khamitov, and Radiy Khabirov—as well as with opposition politicians. In 2020-2021, he headed the Public Chamber of Bashkortostan.

In November 2022, Murzagulov filed a petition with the Russian Supreme Court requesting to be added to the list of foreign agents. The Ministry of Justice added him to the register in December of that year.

In September 2023, the court fined Murzagulov 30 rubles for violating the rules governing the activities of a "foreign agent." In August 2024, the Kirovsky District Court of Ufa fined him the same amount for a similar violation.

After the war began, Murzagulov left Russia and became the host of a political show in August 2022. In September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Murzagulov on the wanted list.

In July 2025, the Ufa Court issued a ruling in absentia against Murzagulov, sentencing him in absentia to eight years in prison. In August 2025, Murzagulov was added to the Rosfinmonitoring Service's list of "extremists and terrorists."

Photo source: Proofs

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The criminal case against Bayande was filed in court in March 2025. According to investigators, in 2021, after leaving Russia, the blogger "posted a video of himself delivering a monologue that contained public calls for terrorist activity aimed at hindering the use of the Russian Armed Forces." The specific video in question is unknown.

On July 17, the court sentenced Bayande in absentia to six years in a general regime penal colony. In addition to his actual sentence, he was also given a three-year ban on publishing materials online.

Photo source: Mediazona

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The case was initiated following videos on Vegan's YouTube channel opposing the war and condemning the Koran. The blogger was arrested in January 2023, held in custody and a psychiatric hospital for over a month, and then released on bail. In November 2023, the court registered a criminal case. In February 2025, Vegan was sentenced to three years in a penal colony and psychiatric treatment.

He defines himself as a vegan, pacifist, cosmopolitan, follower and preacher of Christ's teachings about the love of man for man.

In April 2026, Khristoljub Vegan died in Voronezh's IK-2 penal colony. He was found hanged in the punishment cell. Vegan was 43 years old.

Photo source: Ploshchad media outlet

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Anna Bazhutova was arrested in August 2023. The prosecution stemmed from a June livestream. According to the official version, she read stories from Bucha residents, wrote on a piece of paper that 300 people in Bucha were killed by Russian soldiers, uttered the phrase "death to the Russian occupiers," and called for the "re-killing" of the "Russian people" responsible.

In June 2024, Bazhutova was found guilty of disseminating "fake news" about the Russian army. In December 2024, the court upheld Bazhutova's sentence of five and a half years. At the time, Bazhutova was in Pretrial Detention Center No. 5 in Perm and participated in the appeal hearing via video link. Before the trial, the blogger reported that she was not being provided with antidepressants and other medications. Bazhutova had previously stated that she had been suffering from mental health issues for many years.

In August 2025, Anna Bazhutova was transferred to the hospital. Penal colony staff suggested hospitalization after noticing her deteriorating psychological and physical condition.

You can write to Anna at the address: “FKLPU Regional Hospital Torzhok”, Torzhok, Staritskaya St., 96, Tver Region, 172011, Anna Nikolaevna Bazhutova, born in 1993.

Photo source: Memorial

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Sasha Mitroshina is known for her Instagram blog. She specializes in promoting and cultivating blogs on social media, among other things. Mitroshina has 2,7 million Instagram followers, and according to Forbes, she earned 303 million rubles in 2021—double her income from the previous year.

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Mitroshina fled to Dubai and opened a dance school and podcast studio there. She had previously addressed the issue of domestic violence on her blog and expressed support for Alexei Navalny.

In 2023, Mitroshina was charged with tax evasion. Investigators claim that, to maintain tax accounting under the simplified tax system, she distributed profits among various individual entrepreneurs. Mitroshina was arrested in March 2025 shortly after arriving in Russia. She is currently under house arrest.

Photo source: Vedomosti

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In July 2025, police opened a criminal case against businessman and blogger Andrei Malikov for a post on his Telegram channel. The victim in this case is Vladimir Bazarov, former vice-governor of the Belgorod region who oversaw construction. Investigators claim that the blogger published information on his channel about Bazarov's "forced detention" and arrest, which is "not true."

A second criminal case for publicly insulting a government official was opened a few days later. The case stemmed from a post on Malikov's YouTube channel, in which, according to investigators, he used "obscene language" toward the acting Minister of Culture of the Belgorod Region, Maxim Shaposhnikov. In a post deleted on July 9, the blogger claimed that the official was in a relationship with his deputy. The post also included screenshots of Shaposhnikov's subscriptions to LGBT content on Instagram.

Malikov himself believes that the criminal cases against him represent pressure on independent journalism and an attempt to limit discussion of sensitive issues in the region.

Photo source: Lantern

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Vladislav Gershon was one of the administrators of the Telegram channel "Melitopol is Ukraine." Investigators believe that, on instructions from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), the channel's administrators asked subscribers to report Russian military and equipment concentrations through a feedback bot, and then passed the information on to Ukrainian intelligence officers.

Gershon was detained in occupied Melitopol in the summer of 2023. The case went to trial in May 2025. In September 2025, the court sentenced Gershon to 15 years in prison on charges of terrorism, participation in a "terrorist group," and espionage. The Ukrainian will spend the first three years in prison, and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony.

Photo source: Suspilne

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Suvorova was detained on August 20, 2023. On that day, mass arrests of journalists and bloggers took place in occupied Melitopol. Russian security forces linked them to local Telegram channels and chat rooms—"Melitopol is Ukraine," "RIA-Melitopol," and "Gachi-Ugolok." According to the FSB, the pro-Ukrainian media network served "to gather intelligence and exert psychological pressure on residents of the region."

In October, a military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 21-year-old Yana Suvorova. She was found guilty of committing a terrorist attack causing significant damage as part of a group, espionage, and participation in a "terrorist organization," and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In early September, a court in Rostov sentenced another Melitopol is Ukraine administrator, 27-year-old Vladislav Gershon, to 15 years in a maximum-security prison and penal colony. At the same time, a court in occupied Melitopol sentenced RIA-Melitopol administrator Georgy Levchenko to 16 years in a maximum-security prison (he is not included in this database because Levchenko's sentence was handed down in Melitopol, which NeMoskva does not recognize as Russian territory).

Photo source: inform.zp.ua

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In August 2022, mass searches of Crimean Tatar activists were conducted in Dzhankoy and the Dzhankoy district. Temeryanov and several others were detained on charges of participating in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group banned in Russia but legal in many countries. CPJ reported on him at the time as a journalist arrested by Russian authorities in Crimea.

On November 26, 2025, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced the defendants in the "first Dzhankoy group" to terms ranging from 13 to 19 years; Temeryanov received 14 years. Human rights activists and Crimean Solidarity believe the case is politically motivated and related to the persecution of Crimean Tatar activists and citizen journalists.

Photo source: Crimean Solidarity

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According to a court in annexed Crimea, he allegedly transmitted information about the deployment, numbers, and routes of Russian troops, as well as their equipment and weapons, to the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. An appeals court upheld the verdict in February 2024, and the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation did the same in March 2025.

Serhiy Tsygipa is a citizen journalist, activist, and ATO veteran from Nova Kakhovka. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion, he has been volunteering, participating in rallies in support of Ukraine, and reporting on Russia's actions. On February 24, 2022, he founded the "Nova Kakhovka Information Self-Defense" project. He was captured on March 12, 2022. His arrest was officially confirmed in late December.

You can write to Sergei at the following address: 391846, Ryazan Oblast, Skopin, Oktyabrsky microdistrict, Zavodskaya street, building 1, Federal State Institution Correctional Colony No. 3 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Ryazan Oblast, Sergei Vitalievich Tsygyp, born in 1961.

Photo source: Zmina.info

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Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg in late March 2023 while on a journalistic assignment, where he was preparing a report on the Wagner PMC. The FSB claimed he was collecting classified information about the Uralvagonzavod enterprise on behalf of the CIA; Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal, and US authorities denied the charges.

In June 2024, a court in Yekaterinburg found Gershkovich guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony.

On August 1, Evan was released in a prisoner exchange that resulted in the release of 16 political prisoners imprisoned in Russia, and the return of ten people imprisoned in Europe and the United States to the Russian Federation.

Source: Wall Street Journal

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Khiliuk was detained in Ukraine by Russian military personnel and transferred to Russia. For a long time, his fate was unknown. Russia denied his detention. Later, in response to a request from Reporters Without Borders, the Ministry of Defense stated that Khiliuk was a prisoner of war. According to an RSF investigation, he was held in a penal colony in the Vladimir region. Memorial reports that he was held in a penal facility without procedural status.

Photo source: Grati

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In September 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Lithuanian journalist Eldoradas Butrimas on the wanted list for a trip to the part of the Kursk region under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Earlier, in November 2024, posts containing Butrimas's reports from the Kursk region during the Ukrainian offensive were published on his Facebook page. The journalist later removed these materials from social media.

In August 2025, LRT reported that Russia had added Butrimas to its list of "terrorists and extremists." In July 2026, the court sentenced Eldoradas Butrimas in absentia. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in absentia.

Photo source: Lenta.ru

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According to investigators, he "called for an armed attack on the Russian Federation and the unleashing of an aggressive war against it using nuclear weapons" during a live broadcast, "publicly called for the extermination of citizens of the Russian Federation based on their nationality, language, and origin," and "disseminated deliberately false information about bombings and artillery shelling of civilian infrastructure and civilians by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under the guise of reliable reports." In July 2024, a court sentenced the journalist in absentia to 14 years in prison for calls for terrorism and disseminating "fakes" about the Russian Armed Forces.

In April 2022, he was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists. In July 2022, he was placed on the federal wanted list. In September 2022, he was declared a "foreign agent." In July 2024, he was sentenced in absentia.

Photo source: personal Twitter page

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In January 2023 and July 2024, Alexey Gomon interviewed former "What? Where? When?" player and journalist Rovshan Askerov. Investigators believe one interview contained calls for assassinations against members of the Russian leadership, while the other called for financing terrorism.

In 2025, a criminal case was opened against Gomon on charges related to terrorist activity.

In April 2026, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced him in absentia to 9 years' imprisonment.

Photo source: social media

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A criminal case against Alexander the Reverend was opened due to an interview with political scientist Abbas Galyamov in the spring of 2022 on the YouTube channel "Groshi"—a special project of the Ukrainian television channel "1+1."

According to the prosecution, the political scientist spoke on air about the "destruction of populated areas and the killing of civilians in Kramatorsk."

Photo source: Odeska life

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In August 2022, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, demanded that a criminal case be opened against Sokolova. The Investigative Committee's statement stated that in an interview with NTA, the TV presenter "expressed a position on the need to kill Russians based on their ethnicity" and "openly made threats against representatives of the Russian people, emphasizing the need for their merciless extermination."

Amidst criminal prosecution in Russia, Sokolova was added to the register of "extremists and terrorists." In October 2024, a Moscow court sentenced the Ukrainian TV presenter in absentia to eight years in prison.

Photo source: Ruviki

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In July 2023, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a case against Sokolovskaya for "fakes" about the army. According to investigators, in the spring of 2022, she published messages on Telegram about the Russian army's actions against Ukrainian civilians; her Moscow apartment was searched.

In January 2025, a Moscow court sentenced her in absentia to 7,5 years in prison. Forbes reported that after the war in Ukraine began, Sokolovskaya fled to Europe.

She was placed on the international wanted list and added to the list of terrorists and extremists in 2025.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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A criminal case against Efrosinina was opened in April 2022, stemming from her Instagram posts about the actions of the Russian army, including the deaths of civilians. In May 2023, a court sentenced her in absentia for allegedly spreading fake news about the army.

Photo source: personal Facebook page

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In July 2022, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Moseychuk on the wanted list. She became a defendant in a criminal case for "inciting hatred or enmity" in March 2022. According to the Investigative Committee, on a Ukrainian television channel, the presenter "publicly called for the use of violence dangerous to life and health against Russian pilots participating in a special military operation..., as well as their family members."

Photo source: TSN

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The case was opened in April 2022 following a Facebook post about Marshal Georgy Zhukov. Investigators deemed the publication "deliberately false information" that insulted the memory of the Soviet military leader. Askerov denied the allegations and claimed his post was an opinion based on facts.

In May 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed him on the wanted list, and a Moscow court subsequently arrested him in absentia. In December 2022, the Ministry of Justice added him to the register of foreign agents, and in January 2025, Rosfinmonitoring added him to the list of "terrorists and extremists."

Photo source: sia.az

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The FSB has opened a criminal case against Peyton Welsh for illegally crossing the border. The charges stem from his participation in filming reports from Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian military advance.

In total, the FSB opened criminal cases against seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border.

Photo source: The Moscow Times

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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against Deutsche Welle correspondent Nicholas Connolly, who reported from Sudzha in the Kursk region, which is under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The journalist spoke with local residents who reported that they were left without electricity, water, and telephone service after the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced into the region.

The FSB also reports that since August 17, criminal cases have been opened against seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border.

Photo source: DW

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The criminal prosecution stemmed from the journalists' participation in filming reports from the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region. Ukrainian media aired Natalia Nagornaya's report from Sudzha on August 14. In the video, she displayed a Russian flag, which Ukrainian troops allegedly removed from one of the town's administrative buildings.

The FSB also reports that since August 17, criminal cases have been opened against seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border.

Photo source: fakty.ua

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The FSB opened a criminal case against Battistini for illegally crossing the border. The charges stemmed from his participation in filming reports from Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian military advance.

In total, the FSB opened criminal cases against seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border.

Photo source: RBC

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The FSB opened a criminal case against Traini for illegally crossing the border. The charges stemmed from his participation in filming reports from Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian military advance.

In total, the FSB opened criminal cases against seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border.

Photo source: veratv.it

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The criminal prosecution was prompted by Butsko's participation in filming reports from Sudzha in the Kursk region against the backdrop of the Ukrainian military offensive.

Butsko's material included footage from the Sudzhansky district and conversations with Ukrainian military personnel participating in the operation.

Photo source: LMF

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The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case against Borovik for a report from Sudzha in the Kursk region, amid the Ukrainian military advance. In the report, Borovik shared conversations with residents in the occupied territories.

Photo source: segodnya.ua

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Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened criminal cases against Australian ABC journalists Fletcher Young and Catherine Diss for illegally crossing the border. They were filming a report from Sudzha, where Ukrainian troops are stationed. The journalists entered the Kursk region accompanied by Ukrainian troops and spoke with local residents. Fletcher Young and Catherine Diss's report was published on September 3.

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Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened criminal cases against Australian ABC journalists Catherine Diss and Fletcher Young for illegally crossing the border. They were filming a report from Sudzha, where Ukrainian troops are stationed. The journalists entered the Kursk region accompanied by Ukrainian troops and spoke with local residents. Young and Diss's report was published on September 3.

Photo source: Instagram

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Mircea Barbu, nicknamed "Parbu Mircea" by the Russian news agency Interfax, and American journalists Catherine Diss and Fletcher Young, who work for the Australian ABC News, are accused of "illegally" crossing the Russian border to cover the events. Russia's FSB has opened a criminal case against him.

Photo source: RFI

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Katherine Norris Trent, along with a small media group, visited several villages during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of the Kursk region. Her report was subsequently published.

Since August 17, criminal cases have been opened against 14 foreign journalists for illegally crossing the Russian border.

Photo source: figra.fr

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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened criminal cases against foreign journalists who infiltrated the Kursk region. Among them is Swiss journalist Kurt Pelda. He published a report about his visit to the Kursk region, which was posted on the online portal "20 Minutes."

Photo source: swissinfo.ch

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According to investigators, Rojas arrived in the Sudzhansky District of the Kursk Region in February 2025 without documents authorizing entry into Russia. He traveled with Ukrainian military personnel.

El Mundo newspaper denies that its journalist crossed the Russian border. The publication emphasizes that Rojas conducted his report without entering the Kursk region.

Photo source: El Mundo

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The criminal case was initiated following a question Martens asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade. Martens asked what European countries could do to "help kill more Russians," RIA Novosti quoted the journalist as saying. The journalist then clarified that he meant only the military ("more Russian soldiers, of course"), a clarification not included in the RIA Novosti quote.

Russian authorities called the journalist's statement a call to murder Russians. Investigators charged Martens in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list.

Photo source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta

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Alexey Slobodenyuk, along with two other administrators of the Telegram media outlets "Project Scanner" and Riddle, was found guilty of extorting 470 rubles. Media producer Tina Kandelaki and her husband, Vasily Brovko, who serves as the director for special assignments at the state corporation Rostec, were found guilty.

Slobodenyuk admitted his guilt, but even the victim himself had previously requested that a custodial sentence not be imposed, stating that "the boys have suffered enough" (each of them had spent nearly 10 months in pretrial detention by the time of the verdict). The verdict shocked everyone involved.

In August 2023, the court sentenced Slobodenyuk to 7 years in prison.

The publication "Proekt" claimed that other extortion cases against Telegram channel administrators were initiated directly by Vasily Brovko. The goal: "redividing the Telegram channel market" and bringing them under government control. "Ostorozhnoy Novosti" (Beware of News) recalls that all three defendants in the case were previously employees of Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding company, Patriot.

Photo source: Spectrum

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Evgeny Moskvin, along with two other administrators of the Telegram media outlets "Project Scanner" and Riddle, was found guilty of extorting 470 rubles. Media producer Tina Kandelaki and her husband, Vasily Brovko, who serves as the director for special assignments at the state corporation Rostec, were found guilty.

Moskvin pleaded guilty, but even the victim pleaded not to impose a custodial sentence, stating that "the boys have suffered enough" (each of them had spent nearly 10 months in pretrial detention by the time of the verdict). The verdict shocked everyone involved.

In August 2023, the court sentenced Moskvin to 7 years in prison.

The publication "Proekt" claimed that other extortion cases against Telegram channel administrators were initiated directly by Vasily Brovko. The goal: "redividing the Telegram channel market" and bringing them under government control. "Ostorozhnoy Novosti" (Beware of News) recalls that all three defendants in the case were previously employees of Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding company, Patriot.

Photo source: BFM

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Vladislav Malushenko, along with two other administrators of the Telegram media outlets "Project Scanner" and Riddle, were found guilty of extorting 470 rubles. Media producer Tina Kandelaki and her husband, Vasily Brovko, who serves as the director for special assignments at the state corporation Rostec, were found guilty.

Malushenko admitted his guilt, but even the victim pleaded not to impose a custodial sentence, stating that "the boys have suffered enough" (each of them had spent nearly 10 months in pretrial detention by the time of the verdict). The verdict shocked everyone involved.

In August 2023, the court sentenced Malushenko to 7 years in prison.

The publication "Proekt" claimed that other extortion cases against Telegram channel administrators were initiated directly by Vasily Brovko. The goal: "redividing the Telegram channel market" and bringing them under government control. "Ostorozhnoy Novosti" (Beware of News) recalls that all three defendants in the case were previously employees of Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding company, Patriot.

Photo source: Spectrum

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On June 5, 2025, the Investigative Committee conducted searches at the offices of the Ural news agency Ura.ru in Yekaterinburg and also searched the homes of three employees of their Sverdlovsk branch. On June 6, the court remanded Denis Allayarov to pretrial detention on bribery charges.

Previously, the court placed Andrei Karpov, head of the criminal investigation department of Yekaterinburg's 10th police station, under house arrest in connection with a bribery case. He is Denis Allayarov's uncle. Ura.ru reports that the case was opened because Allayarov transferred 20 rubles to Karpov. The editorial staff claimed that Karpov incriminated his nephew to mitigate his own sentence in another criminal case.

At the same time, Allayarov published complimentary materials about Sverdlovsk officials—Governor Denis Pasler and Yekaterinburg Mayor Alexei Orlov. Ura.ru covered the war in Ukraine based on reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense and carried out PR for individual generals at the military department's request.

The Allayarov case shows signs of selective and politically instrumentalized persecution: excessive pretrial detention and punishment, pressure on the editorial staff, and links to the redistribution of assets by URA.RU owners.

In April 2026, Denis Allayarov was sentenced to five years in a general regime penal colony.

Photo source: Ura.ru

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Gleb Trifonov was arrested on July 22, 2025, in connection with a police abuse of power case. Investigators allege that the journalist is involved in three corruption-related crimes, including bribery, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert.

Along with Trifonov, the publication's producer, Tatyana Lukyanova, was also detained. Both employees are suspected of purchasing crime reports from police officers. Trifonov and Lukyanova deny purchasing the reports from law enforcement.

The operation was clearly a showpiece: police and riot police searched the Baza editorial office and the employees' apartments, seized editorial equipment, and took several journalists in for questioning. Trifonov's family and lawyer were unable to locate him for a long time after his arrest; his defense attorney was only allowed to see him after approximately 14 hours, and the interrogation continued into the night. According to neighbors, he was threatened with violence during the search. Trifonov's case reveals signs of disproportionate, intimidating, and professionally motivated persecution, accompanied by a violation of his right to defense.

On July 23, Trifonov was arrested. In September 2025, his sentence was reduced to house arrest.

Separate sentences have already been handed down to several police officers accused of receiving money from Baza: former Krasnodar police officer Alexander Ablaev received a five-year prison sentence, and former Krasnoyarsk police officer Sergei Kovalev received a four-year maximum security prison sentence in September 2026.

Photo source: Repost

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In July 2025, police and riot police raided Baza's Moscow office. The Investigative Committee alleged that police officers had illegally leaked proprietary information to the editorial staff, which was then published on the Telegram channel. That same day, Baza editor-in-chief Gleb Trifonov and information service producer Tatyana Lukyanova were arrested.

Lukyanova was charged under Part 4 of Article 291 of the Russian Criminal Code and remanded in custody. Initially, she and Trifonov denied the charges. Lukyanova then reported that, at Trifonov's request, she had transferred money to police officers and was reimbursed for the money spent. In September 2025, Lukyanova fully admitted her guilt and wrote a confession. After this, investigators requested a lenient sentence, and Tatyana Lukyanova was transferred to house arrest.

By June 2026, the investigation was completed and he was transferred to court.

Separate sentences have already been handed down to several police officers accused of receiving money from Baza: former Krasnodar police officer Alexander Ablaev received a five-year prison sentence, and former Krasnoyarsk police officer Sergei Kovalev received a four-year maximum security prison sentence in September 2026.

Photo source: Repost

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According to investigators, Mikhail Polyakov and his accomplices extorted money from Lanit Group executives in exchange for deleting negative publications and refraining from further dissemination of information about the company. The Telegram channels "Kremlevskaya Prachka," "Nezygar," "VChK-OGPU," "Banksta," The Moscow Post, and "Brief" were mentioned in the case materials. Lanit top managers allegedly transferred 44,7 million and 5,3 million rubles to Polyakov.

In June 2023, Polyakov was arrested. At the time, he served as deputy director of security for the Directorate of the World Youth Festival. According to media reports, until 2022, he served in the Second Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate for the Protection of the Constitutional Order for Moscow and the Moscow Region. Polyakov pleaded not guilty and claimed that he had not negotiated with Lanit representatives or received any money from them.

In August 2026, the court sentenced Polyakov to 11 years in a maximum-security penal colony, stripped him of his rank as an FSB colonel, and fined him 800 rubles.

Photo source: BFM