Russian media The Moscow Times has been classified as “ undesirable ” in Russia, and therefore banned, the country’s prosecutor general’s office said on Wednesday, July 10. Launched in 1992 shortly after the collapse of the USSR, the newspaper was published in both Russian and English.
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The Moscow Times confirmed on his Telegram channel, followed by some 100,000 subscribers, that he had been designated ” unwanted organization “According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, ” work [du Moscow Times] aims to discredit the decisions of the leaders of the Federation of Russia in foreign and domestic policy “.
The organization “ interacts constantly with foreign organizations such as Meduza, The Insider or Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, also already recognized as undesirable in Russia “, added the prosecutor in a statement. Meduza And The Insider are Independent Russian media outlets forced to leave the country for fear of reprisals from the government. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a media outlet funded by the United States Congress.
THE Moscow Timeswhich publishes in English and Russian, had already been designated ” foreign agent ” in November 2023, forcing most of his collaborators to leave the country.
The status of ” unwanted organization ” is even more infamous and makes its collaborators liable to criminal prosecution in Russia. People have been fined simply for sharing links or articles published by organizations classified as “ unwanted “, according to the news site Media Zonespecializing in legal affairs and repression.
“ We will continue to work as before: independent journalism is a crime in Russia. [Vladimir] Poutine “, reacted on X the founder of Moscow Times Derk Sauer. A Dutch national, he moved the editorial staff to Amsterdam after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in 2022.
American Evan Gershkovich, now imprisoned in Russia, began his career there
Many journalists who started out in Moscow Times then continued their careers in major international media, including the New York Times or AFP. This is the case of the American Evan Gershkovich, journalist of the Wall Street Journal arrested in Russia in March 2023 and currently on trial on espionage charges he denies. He had joined the Moscow Times in 2017 then Agence France-Presse in 2020.
The Russian authorities have continued to strengthen the repression of any dissenting voice since the launch in February 2022 of what it calls ” special military operation ” in Ukraine.
Most of the opponents are either in exile, in prison or dead as Alexei Navalnywho died in prison in February 2024 in circumstances that remain unclear. A An arrest warrant was issued on July 9 against his widow, Yulia Navalnaya..
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