Alerts | Arrest/detention/charges

Journalist from Siberia arrested on charges of “fake news” about the war in Ukraine

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On 29 September 2025, journalist Svetlana Khustik was arrested in her home in Solontsy, Krasnoyarsk Krai, by agents from the regional FSB and Investigative Committee. Officials seized her electronic devices during the arrest.

Khustik previously published, under a pseudonym, for the Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, for the service’s regional project Siberia.Realities.

The journalist was charged under Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code for “disseminating false information” about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces. The allegations were related to a 2023 interview she conducted (under the pseudonym Olga Sorokina) in which she referred to a Russian missile strike in Uman, Ukraine, that Russian authorities officially denied responsibility for.

Khustik’s lawyers requested that she be placed under house arrest, but instead the court ordered her detention for two months.

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