Just three days ago I reported on the detainment of Russian journalist Konstantin Gabov in Moscow on charges of “extremism” — the most common excuse being used these days for the silencing of Putin’s most vocal critics.

And then I learned that on the same day — Saturday, April 27th — yet another journalist, Sergey Karelin, was also arrested, but near his home in the Murmansk region of Russia some 125 miles above the Arctic Circle, accused of “participation in an extremist organization.”

Karelin, who holds dual Russian-Israeli citizenship, previously worked for a number of media outlets including the Associated Press (AP), and Deutsche Welle (DW) (prior to DW’s being banned in Russia in 2022). His fate remains to be determined, pending trial in two months (or more).

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Not enough for you? Then add Sergey Mingazov to the list. A journalist for Forbes, Mingazov was also placed under two months’ house arrest at his home in Khabarovsk (near the Chinese border) on Saturday, where he will await trial after being detained “for allegedly spreading fake news about the Russian army.” [Zarah Ullah, Katharina Krebs, Darya Tarasova and Christian Edwards, CNN, April 28, 2024.] His attorney has said that the specific charge was “reposting a publication about the events in Bucha [Ukraine] on Telegram.” [Olga Voitovych, Darya Tarasova and Jessie Gretener, CNN, April 27, 2024.] According to authorities, this amounts to “spreading ‘knowingly false information’ about the Russian armed forces ‘under the guise’ of reliable reporting.” [CNN, Id.]

While under house arrest, Mingazov has been banned from using the internet, and is restricted in his contacts with people other than relatives, investigators, lawyers, and medical professionals. It may be better than sitting in a Russian prison, but make no mistake: he is still a political hostage whose future does not look bright.

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The Kremlin’s crackdown on the media has taken other forms as well. Several cases have been filed in absentia against Russians who have fled the country. And in February, German WDR radio correspondent Bjorn Blaschke was fined 40,000 rubles ($428) for “having discredited the Russian army.” According to an anonymous source at independent media outlet Ekho Moskvy, “Blaschke was pulled off a train by police while traveling from Vladivostok to Moscow for a tweet posted in 2022 linking the offensive on Ukraine to the rising cost of wheat and fuel in several African countries. WDR pulled the correspondent out of Russia after his arrest.” [Javier G. Cuesta, El Pais International, April 27, 2024.]

He was one of the lucky ones.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/1/24