After Russia started its war of aggression in Ukraine about a year ago, all independent media in Russia have either been shut down or they themselves have suspended their activities.
26.1. 17:18•Updated 26.1. 19:45
Russian prosecutors have banned the operation of the independent Meduza news site. Prosecutors say the Russian-language site is a security threat to Russia.
On Thursday, prosecutors said Meduza had been designated an undesirable operator, adding to the pressure on the site.
After an operator is declared undesirable in Russia, those working with it can receive significant fines or even six years in prison. In the case of the media, for example, this applies to both journalists and readers.
Meduza has already been added to the list of foreign agents in 2021. In recent years, the label of foreign agent has been widely used against opponents of the regime, journalists and human rights activists.
After Russia started its war of aggression in Ukraine about a year ago, all independent media in Russia have either been shut down or they themselves have suspended their activities.
Access to the websites of foreign media operators is also limited within Russia.
Meduza was founded in 2014 and operates in Latvia to circumvent Russian censorship.
Meduza has often been cited in the Western media both during the war of aggression against Russia and before that.
In recent years, Russia has abolished several organizations that criticized the country’s administration and imprisoned dissidents.
On Wednesday, a Moscow court ordered the dissolution of the Moscow Helsinki Group human rights organization founded in 1976.