Rising pressures: Russia's renewed crackdown on media freedoms
The British Ministry of Defence reports increasing repressions against journalists in Russia. The authorities in that country have fined many media representatives. This is not the only restriction imposed on journalists in Russia—both domestic and foreign.
In its latest intelligence report, the British Ministry of Defence highlights the growing number of journalists who have been fined by Russian authorities. This information comes from the independent Russian outlet Mediazona.
According to Mediazona, recent weeks have seen a significant increase in the number of Russian-speaking media journalists who have faced financial penalties. This mainly involves employees and collaborators of Mediazona, Radio Free Europe, and the independent television station Dozhd.
The British Ministry of Defence emphasizes that these restrictions aim to discourage independent media from publishing information that may undermine Moscow's official narrative, especially in the context of the invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement published on platform X, it was noted that the sanctions against journalists are part of the Kremlin's policy, pursued since the onset of aggression against Ukraine nearly three years ago. The British Ministry of Defence predicts that Russian authorities will continue and intensify repressions against independent media in the foreseeable future.
Persecution of journalists has a long history in Russia
According to Reporters Without Borders, at the time of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022, journalists from many media outlets, who for decades had spoken uncensored about what was happening in Russia, were outside the country: "Novaya Gazeta," Dozhd television, Echo Moskvy radio.
But the persecution did not begin then. In 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter for "Novaya Gazeta," was shot. Her editorial colleague, Igor Domnikov, was killed in 1999. In a decade, the newspaper lost five journalists and collaborators. Besides Politkovskaya and Domnikov, they were: Yuri Shchekochikhin (2003), Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, and Anastasia Baburova (2009).
And although in 2021, the editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta", Dmitry Muratov, was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize, a few months later—at the onset of the aggression against Ukraine—the entire publication had to suspend operations, and many journalists went abroad.
Journalists pay the highest price for working in Russia
At the end of 2022, Amnesty International published the report "Russia: 'You will be arrested anyway': Repercussions for observers and media workers reporting protests", documenting dozens of cases where journalists and observers were unlawfully prevented from working during protests.
Journalists at protests in Russia face illegal detentions, use of force, deprivation of freedom, or heavy fines.
An illustrative example of how Russia punishes "disobedient" journalists was Evan Gershkovich of "The Wall Street Journal", sentenced for espionage to 16 years in prison. Ultimately, he spent a little over 16 months in prison and was released as part of a prisoner exchange. Along with him, Radio Free Europe's Alsu Kurmasheva (sentenced to 6.5 years) and oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza (columnist for "The Washington Post") gained freedom.
