When journalism is “undesirable”. Russia’s crackdown on independent media results in 81 fines for those “associated” with independent media

Penalties for “participation” (engaging in activities) in an organization deemed “undesirable” by Russian authorities have been around since in 2015. A first “violation” incurs a fine of 5,000–15,000 rubles, while a second instance within a year can lead to criminal charges and a prison sentence of up to four years.

Prosecutors interpret “participation” broadly, including not only working for a publication or providing comments for an article, but also simply reposting content—meaning ordinary readers are being fined.

Meduza accounted for the most number protocols in 2024 with 45. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) came in second with 12, followed by TV Rain with 9.  In most cases, these protocols involve fines levied against individuals who contributed to content in some way, such as authors, editors, and experts.

Almost half (34) of all protocols were drawn up based on reports by the Yakutia regional Centre for Combating Extremism, colloquially known as “Centre E”: 23 against Meduza, seven against TV Rain, two against iStories, and one against Doxa. Yakutia’s Centre E uses these protocols to pressure journalists and politicians: operatives find hyperlinks to banned media in their social networks. For example, in December, a local court issued seven fines to Yelena Sokolova, the chief editor of V Yakutiya.ru, totaling 35,000 rubles.

Independent media have now surpassed religious organisations (such as Falun Gong, AllatRa, etc.) as the primary targets of “undesirable” fines—those groups were heavily fined in previous years. 2024 was also a record year in terms of the number of fines: the courts handed down 178 such rulings, 147 of which have been made public.