On 18 October 2023, a court in Moscow registered a case against journalist Maksim Glikin, who stood accused of not supplying authorities with regular financial and activity reports, reported Russian independent media outlet MediaZona. Glikin is designated as a “foreign agent” in Russia and is legally required to submit such reports several times a year. If found guilty, he faces a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles.
The court initially registered the case as against “Galkin M.A.”, likely confusing journalist Glikin with a popular Russian singer with a similar last name, MediaZona reported.
Maksin Glikin is a political journalist who has worked in the past with several independent Russian media outlets, such as TV Rain and Verstka, as well as earlier with newspapers RBC, Vedomosti and Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
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.
UPDATE: On 14 November 2023, a court in Moscow fined Glikin 30 thousand rubles on grounds of violating Russian legislation on “foreign agents”.