Foto:Moscow Times
Russia has included the English-language edition of the Moscow Times on the list of “undesirable organizations”, which effectively prohibits its activities on the territory of the country and exposes those who cooperate with it to danger. This classification forces the organizations to stop operating in Russia and exposes Russians who work for, fund or cooperate with them to potential prosecution.
“A decision was made to recognize the activities of the foreign non-governmental organization The Moscow Times as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation,”
said the statement of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia published on Monday. The publication is accused of
“discrediting the decisions of the leadership of the Russian Federation in both foreign and domestic policy.”
The Russian authorities use the label “undesirable” to push independent media and public organizations critical of the Kremlin out of the country. Many of Russia’s leading investigative projects, such as Proekt, the Insider, and Important Stories, have also received this label, greatly limiting their ability to cover domestic events and exposing reporters and their sources to legal risks.
The designation of “undesirable” organizations forces them to cease operations in Russia and exposes Russians who work for them to the risk of prosecution and up to five years in prison. Published in English and Russian, The Moscow Times has become the alma mater of many distinguished correspondents covering Russia, including Evan Hershkovich, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and Ellen Barry, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former Moscow bureau chief of The New York Times.
Founded by Dutch publisher Derk Sauer in 1992, the Moscow Times became the first Western daily newspaper published in Russia. In 2022, the newspaper moved its office to Amsterdam after Russia passed a law restricting coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. A year later, the Ministry of Justice of Russia recognized it as a “foreign agent,” which is usually the first step taken by the authorities to expel the organization from the country. Access to the website of the publication in Russia was already limited, as the authorities referred to the
“systematic publication of socially significant false information aimed at discrediting the activities of the state authorities of our country in conducting a special military operation.”
“This appointment did not come as a surprise – it was obvious that our journalism, which tells the world the truth about Russia and its war in Ukraine, causes discomfort in the Kremlin,”
Moscow Times editor Samantha Burkhead said in an interview with The Washington Post.
“Our work will become more difficult. Anyone in Russia who interacts with us in any way will now be at risk of criminal prosecution. But we refuse to be silent,” she added.
The announcement of the inclusion of the Moscow Times in the list of “undesirable organizations” was also confirmed by the Washington Post, which emphasized that the decision is part of a large-scale effort by the Kremlin to suppress independent journalism and civil society in Russia.
