- Some media were fined or forced to suspend business after being labelled as “foreign agents,” a name with negative connotations from the Soviet era.
- “Inside” and its editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov helped identify the people behind the Alexei Navalny poisoning in August last year, which angered the Kremlin.
- The authorities searched Dobrokhotov’s home in July.
After investigating the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, the editor-in-chief of a Russian news media designated him as a “foreign agent” and accused the Russian government of destroying the media.
“Inside” and its editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov helped identify the people behind the Navalny poisoning incident in August last year, which angered the Kremlin. The Kremlin denied responsibility for Navalny’s illness and designated the incident as a special operation supported by the West in order to tarnish his reputation.
The online media published stories about the lives of secret Russian elites and cooperated with the Dutch-based investigation website Bellingcat, whose investigations into Moscow’s intelligence services were condemned by Russian state officials as Western propaganda, but it denied this.
The authorities searched Dobrokhotov’s home in July after declaring Dobrokhotov’s export as a “foreign agent” and filing a criminal lawsuit against him for defamation. He called the allegations nonsense:
We are not talking about censorship here, but about destroying the democratic elements of civil society. I think this is just the beginning. Destroying the media and NGOs is not an end in itself, but a means to strengthen state control.
On the eve of this month’s parliamentary elections, media and journalists criticizing the authorities are facing increasing pressure.
The United Russia Party, which supports President Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, has never faced serious challenges in its two decades in power, but past election disputes have led to street demonstrations. Opponents of the Kremlin say that the authorities are more worried than ever because of the decline in living standards.
Read here | Russia announces new criminal charges against Navalny
Some media were fined or forced to suspend business after being labelled as “foreign agents.” This name has negative connotations from the Soviet era, affecting advertising revenue, and forcing them to issue public disclaimers about their status, and regularly Explain how they spend their income.
The Kremlin denied that the media were targeted for political reasons, saying that the actions taken against them were entirely based on the law, and that those media labeled as foreign agents can continue to work in Russia.
Do you know you can listen to the article? Subscribe to news 24 Access this exciting feature and more.
