Russian authorities have used the label “undesirable” to expel independent media and civil society organizations critical of the Kremlin. In recent years, some of Russia’s most prominent investigative projects, including Proekt, the Insider and Important Stories, have been similarly labeled, severely restricting their ability to report in the country and exposing their reporters and interviewees to legal risks.
The “undesirable” classification would force the organization to cease operations in Russia, and any Russians who work for, fund or collaborate with it would risk prosecution and face up to five years in prison.
The Moscow Times, which is published in both English and Russian, has produced many outstanding correspondents on Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal correspondent imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges that the U.S. denies were fabricated, and Ellen Barry, who won a Pulitzer Prize as Moscow bureau chief in the early 2010s. The newspaper was launched in 1992 by Dutch publisher Derk Sauer and became the first Western daily newspaper published in the Netherlands.
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The paper moved its offices to Amsterdam in 2022 after Russia passed a series of laws restricting coverage of its invasion of Ukraine. A year later, the Russian Ministry of Justice designated the paper a “foreign agent,” typically the first step authorities take to expel an organization from the country.
Access to the paper’s website had previously been restricted in Russia, with authorities citing “the systematic publication of false information of social importance aimed at discrediting the work of our state authorities conducting special military operations” – the Kremlin’s euphemism for war.
“This designation comes as no surprise. It is clear that our journalism, which is telling the world the truth about Russia and its war against Ukraine, has irritated the Kremlin,” Samantha Birkhead, editor of the Moscow Times, told The Washington Post in a statement.
“Our job will become even harder from now on. Anyone who associates with us in any way in Russia will risk criminal prosecution. But we refuse to remain silent,” she added.
