On 13 July 2022, the presumed leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeni Prigozhin wrote to the Russian Investigative Committee, asking to open a criminal case against journalists Lilya Yapparova and Tatyana Yershova.
Yapparova recently authored an investigation into the deployment of Wagner mercenaries in the war in Ukraine. The article was published by the Latvia-based independent online media Meduza, where Yershova is head of publications. In the letter sent by Prigozhin’s press service, Yapparova is accused of preparing “massive informational provocations against Russia”, which would allegedly justify opening a case against her and Yershova for “fake news” on the war in Ukraine and for state treason.