On 12 July 2023, independent Russian media outlet MediaZona reported that a court in Moscow was set to examine a fine against journalist Mikhail Zygar, who is accused of not labelling his publications as authored by a “foreign agent”, a status he was handed in October 2022. A court hearing in his case was initially scheduled for August 23. If found guilty, the journalist faces a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles.
Zygar was the founding editor-in-chief of TV Rain, Russia’s largest independent television channel. He left TV Rain in 2015 and has since developed a career as a writer. He left Russia to settle in Berlin in 2022, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
UPDATE: On 23 August 2023, a court in Moscow fined Zygar 30 thousand rubles, on the basis that he did not respect Russian legislation which obliged him to add disclaimers on his “foreign agent” status to all publications.