On 9 April 2024, a court in Moscow registered a case against Russian independent journalist Konstantin Eggert, who was accused of violating Russian legislation on “foreign agents”, with authorities claiming that the journalist did not mention his status in his publications. The news was reported on by independent outlet MediaZona, which quoted a decision available at the official website of the Moscow court system. If found guilty, Eggert, who lives abroad, faces a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles.
A leading independent journalist, Konstantin Eggert was the head of the Moscow office of the Russian service of the BBC between 2002 and 2009. He also worked as an anchor at the radio station Kommersant-FM, as well as at TV Rain, Russia’s most popular independent TV channel. Russian authorities designated him as a “foreign agent” in August 2023, “accusing” him of opposing the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and living abroad.
Initially adopted in 2012, Russia’s law on foreign agents has been revised several times over the past decade to include an ever-wider range of potential targets for state-sponsored discrimination. Currently, any organization, media or private individual can be designated as such simply by being declared to be “under foreign influence” by the Russian Ministry of Justice or because of receiving funds of any amount from abroad (or from an entity itself receiving foreign funds). “Foreign agents” are also barred from receiving state financing, teaching at state universities, working with minors and providing expertise on environmental issues, among other restrictions.