Russia Brands Mediazona a “Foreign Agent”

The Russian Justice Ministry has designated independent news outlet Mediazona a “foreign agent”. The ministry said the outlet had spread false information about Russia’s law enforcement system and engaged in political activity.

Mediazona responded on Telegram, noting that this was the second time Russian authorities had designated it a foreign agent. Editor Yegor Skovoroda described the ministry’s statement as “incredibly crazy”.

The outlet was first designated a foreign agent in 2021, after which the Justice Ministry removed it from Russia’s register of authorized media organizations.

Russian state communications regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Mediazona’s website in Russia in March 2022, shortly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The outlet’s journalists, including editor-in-chief Sergei Smirnov, now work in exile. Russia has opened criminal cases against several of them, while a number of Mediazona staff have also been individually designated as foreign agents.

(Reuters, max)