On 23 October 2023, a court in Moscow registered a new case against journalist Alexander Plyushchev, who stood accused of not supplying authorities with regular financial and activity reports, reported Russian independent media outlet MediaZona. Plyushchev 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.
Having previously worked with Echo of Moscow, an independent Russian radio station, Plyushchev left Russia following the start of the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As Echo of Moscow was disbanded soon after the start of the invasion, Plyushchev continued to broadcast his shows on Youtube.
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 11 January 2024, a court in Moscow fined Plyushchev 45 thousand rubles on grounds of not supplying authorities with regular financial and activity reports.