On 10 March 2025, a court in Moscow placed exiled journalist Sergey Medvedev under arrest in absentia, Russian independent media reported. The decision was made in relation to a criminal case which was earlier opened against Medvedev, and which authorities are not known to have communicated on prior to their decision to place the journalist under arrest in absentia.
The court’s decision on this would have been made “in mid-February”, however authorities also did not publish information on this at that time, according to MediaZona, an independent outlet which regularly reports on court cases against Kremlin critics.
As for the case itself, Medvedev stands accused of publishing “fake news” about the Russian army on “political hatred-related motives”. If found guilty, the journalist faces an in absentia prison sentence of up to 10 years. It is not known what exactly he is accused of doing.
Sergey Medvedev authors regular programs for the Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He previously also worked as a radio and television presenter, including for exiled outlet TV Rain.
UPDATE: On 29 September 2025, Medvedev was sentenced to 10 years of prison in absentia on charges of publishing what Russian authorities claim is “fake news” on the war in Ukraine.
UPDATE: On 21 October 2025, Russian independent media additionally reported that Medvedev had been placed on Russia’s list of “terrorists and extremists”, as a result of which his bank accounts in Russia were automatically frozen.