Editor of Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper detained, fined for 'discrediting military'

Sergei Sokolov, the editor-in-chief of renowned Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was detained in Moscow on Thursday (Feb 29) for discrediting the military. Citing Novaya Gazeta, a report by the news agency Associated Press said Sokolov was detained by officers from Russia’s Center for Combating Extremism (Center E), and fined 30,000 rubles ($329) in a hearing at a Moscow court.

The newspaper said that the charges were related to material posted on its Telegram channel. It was found in an examination by the authorities to contain “linguistic and psychological signs of verbally discrediting the actions of power structures,” the paper added.

Sokolov became Novaya Gazeta's editor-in-chief in September 2023 after his predecessor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov was named a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities.

In a post on X, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Thursday that it protested Sokolov's detention which was further evidence of the draconian censorship in Russia.

"The chief editor of Novaya Gazeta has been fined 30,000 roubles (300 euros) for an article about orphans urged by the Defence Ministry to enlist as soldiers in the war. RSF condemns this latest attack on the media," the RSF added.

The newspaper has been critical of the Kremlin for several years. In September 2022, a court in Moscow revoked the license of the outlet.

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Days after the Ukraine war began on Feb 24, 2022, the Russian parliament approved legislation that outlawed disparagement of the Russian military or the spread of “false information” about the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, dozens of independent media outlets in Russia were banned. In March 2022, Novaya Gazeta announced that it was suspending its operations for the duration of the conflict.

However, its staff moved overseas and launched a new project called Novaya Gazeta Europe, which has strongly criticised the conflict.

(With inputs from agencies)