On 31 March 2025, a court in Moscow sentenced journalist Roman Anin to 8.5 years in prison in absentia on charges of disseminating what Russian authorities claim is “fake news” about the war in Ukraine. Anin currently works as the publisher of Russian investigative media outlet iStories.
Prior to this, in June 2024, Russia’s Ministry of Interior added Anin, who lives in exile, to the country’s ‘wanted’ list, independent outlet MediaZona reported at the time. Anin, who was at the time the editor-in-chief of iStories, was added for violating provisions of Russia’s criminal code. At the time, it was unclear what he was accused of. However, given the fact that he had been added to the ‘wanted’ list at the same time as journalist Ekaterina Fomina, a former iStories journalist accused of dissseminating “fake news” on the Russian army for an article published with iStories, it was likely that Anin had been placed on Russia’s ‘wanted’ list in connection to the case.
The motive for that case was an interview that Fomina conducted in August 2022 with Russian soldier Daniil Frolkin. In the interivew, Frolkin admitted to the murder of a civilian in the village of Andriivka near Kyiv, and also named commanders, who he claimed gave orders to shoot civilians.
A court in Moscow arrested Anin in absentia soon after he was added to Russia’s ‘wanted’ list.