Russia puts foreign investigative journalist on its 'wanted' list - CNN

CNN  — 

Russia has enactment the investigative writer Christo Grozev connected its “wanted” list, according to the Russian Interior Ministry.

Grozev, who is Bulgarian, is the pb Russia researcher astatine the journalism radical Bellingcat.

Information published connected the ministry’s website said helium was “wanted nether an nonfiction of the Criminal Code,” without specifying the nonstop article.

According to the autarkic quality rights show OVD-Info, a transgression lawsuit connected disseminating “fake news” astir the Russian service has been opened against Grozev.

The Russian authorities adopted a instrumentality criminalizing the dissemination of what it calls “deliberately false” accusation astir the Russian equipped forces successful aboriginal March, conscionable days aft Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale penetration of Ukraine. The maximum punishment nether the instrumentality is 15 years successful prison.

Grozev has reported extensively connected Russia’s engagement successful a fig of high-profile planetary crimes, including the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 successful eastbound Ukraine and the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal successful the United Kingdom. Moscow has repeatedly denied immoderate work for either attack.

Together with the squad of Russian absorption person Alexey Navalny and journalists from CNN and different outlets, Grozev besides investigated the poisoning of Navalny successful 2020.

He focuses connected “security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information,” according to Bellingcat’s website.

Since the commencement of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful February, Grozev has been utilizing open-source integer tools to papers warfare crimes and different atrocities committed during the conflict.

Grozev said connected Monday helium didn’t cognize wherefore helium had been added to Russia’s wanted list.

“I person nary thought connected what grounds the Kremlin has enactment maine connected its ‘wanted list,’ frankincense I cannot supply immoderate comments astatine this time. In a mode it doesn’t substance – for years they’ve made it wide they are frightened of our enactment and would halt astatine thing to marque it spell away,” helium said successful a Twitter station connected Monday.

Putin’s authorities has been methodically dismantling escaped property for years, but the crackdown connected autarkic publications and journalists intensified successful precocious February.

All remaining autarkic Russian media outlets person been shuttered and online entree to the ones operating from overseas has been blocked. Western publications and societal media sites person besides been banned.

According to OVD-Info, astatine slightest 370 radical person faced transgression prosecution for anti-war statements and speeches. Dozens of them person fled Russia and person been placed connected the wanted list, according to the monitor.