The Russian Prosecutor General's Office announced on Wednesday that the independent news outlet The Moscow Times has been labeled an “undesirable organization.”
This labeling prohibits The Moscow Times from operating in Russia and criminalizes any cooperation with it.
The statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office claimed that the now Netherlands-based independent media aims to discredit the Russian leadership's decisions in both foreign and domestic policy.
The office also accused the outlet of working with other media deemed "undesirable" in Russia, such as Meduza, The Insider, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Impact and Response
The editor-in-chief of The Moscow Times, Samantha Berkhead, told Novaya Europe that the designation was expected due to the outlet’s critical reporting on Russia and its war on Ukraine.
“Our jobs are about to 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 silenced,” Berkhead stated.
Dutch media mogul Derk Sauer, the founder and owner of The Moscow Times, pledged on X to continue with independent journalism, despite the risks.
“Independent journalism is a crime in Putin's Russia, but we will carry on as usual,” he said.
Background of The Moscow Times
Founded in 1992, The Moscow Times initially served as a print newspaper for English-speaking expats in Moscow, covering political and social events in Russia.
It transitioned to an online-only format in 2017.
Since January 2022, the outlet has published news in both Russian and English. After the Kremlin intensified its crackdown on independent media following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Moscow Times relocated to Amsterdam in 2023.
