On 17 March 2025, Russian independent media reported that authorities had opened a criminal case against investigative journalist Sergey Yezhov, who works with Russian online outlet The Insider, as well as with the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) founded by the late Alexey Navalny. Following the decision, security forces reportedly searched the home of the journalist’s parents in Russia.
The criminal case against Yezhov was opened on the grounds that he allegedly did not respect the obligations bestowed upon him as a “foreign agent”. The journalist was designated as such in July 2024, among other reasons for his public stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Yezhov was also accused of “discrediting the Russian army”. He currently lives in exile.
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 April 2025, Yezhov was placed on Russia’s ‘wanted’ list, as reported by independent outlet MediaZona.