On 26 November 2024, a court in Chita, in Russia’s Far Eastern Zabaykalskiy Krai, sentenced local journalist Nika Novak to four years in prison on charges of “confidential cooperation with a foreign organization”, Russian independent media reported.
Few details on the accusations against Novak are known to the public. Her case was designated as “secret” by investigators ever since her initial detention in her hometown of Chita, in Russia’s Far East, in December 2023.
Novak’s initial detention was preceded by a police search at her and her mother’s apartment in Chita, during which authorities seized all electronic devices present on site. According to Novak’s mother, the journalist had the possibility to leave Russia after this search but refused to do so despite the danger of imminent arrest.
Novak was later charged with violating article 275.1 of Russia’s criminal code, which penalizes “confidential cooperation with a foreign state, international or foreign organization”, becoming the first Russian journalist to be sentenced under this accusation.
For almost a year following her arrest, no information was available as to which “foreign organization” Novak was accused of “confidentially cooperating” with. However following her sentencing, U.S. Congress-funded media corporation RFE/RL confirmed that the journalist had previously published for Sibir.Realii, a project of RFE/RL’s Russian service which focuses on Russia’s Siberia and Far East regions.
While it is unclear whether authorities targeted Novak for specific articles, the journalist was known for condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as well as Russian wartime censorship imposed on media. In conversation with independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, Novak’s mother confirmed her daughter’s anti-war stance, adding that they both thought that the journalist risked at most a fine.
According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, Novak likely published anonymously, and it was unclear how authorities were informed about her work for RFE/RL.
In the past, the journalist worked for local outlets in Chita, including Zab.ru and ChitaMedia, which reportedly did not focus on political issues at the time Novak published for them.
UDPATE: On 31 March 2025, Russian independent media reported that a court of appeals in Novosibirsk confirmed the prison sentence earlier handed to Novak. Additionally, the court decided to confiscate 500 thousand rubles from the journalist, claiming that this was money that she had made while working for RFE/RL. It was unclear how judges established this sum, and whether this was in fact the amount that Novak made while working for the outlet.