Russian court fines Meduza nearly $5,000 for violating ‘foreign agent’ law

A Moscow court has fined Medusa Project SIA 400,000 rubles (about 4,459 euros) for allegedly "violating the procedure for the activities of a foreign agent."

Russian court fines Meduza nearly $5,000 for violating ‘foreign agent’ law

A Moscow court has fined Medusa Project SIA 400,000 rubles (almost $5,000) for “violating the procedure for the activities of a foreign agent.” The Telegram channel of Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction, which reported the ruling, did not disclose the specific basis for the case.

A campaign has been underway against the newspaper for years: in 2023, it was classified as an "undesirable organization," meaning the portal cannot legally operate in Russia.

A Moscow district court found the non-governmental news portal Meduza guilty of “violating the procedure for its activities as a foreign agent” and fined it 400,000 rubles. The court statement, published on Telegram, did not specify the exact activities for which Meduza was punished. Meduza was declared a “foreign agent media outlet” in Russia on April 23, 2021. In the following years, a number of independent media outlets, journalists, public f…