A regional court in Siberia has sentenced a Russian journalist to four years in prison for her work with a foreign media outlet for which, according to the prosecution, she helped produce “content” that “discredited” the Russian army. Since the start of its assault on Ukraine, the Kremlin has stepped up its repression of critical voices and independent media.
The Russian security services (FSB) accused the journalist, identified by media and activists as Nika Novak, of having “cooperated confidentially with a representative of a foreign media outlet”, the state agency said Interfax. Nika Novak, arrested in December 2023 in Moscow, was tried in Transbaikalia, a region of Siberia where she worked.
Her trial took place behind closed doors and the court did not specify for which foreign media she is accused of having worked. The media Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a media outlet funded by the US Congress, indicated that Nika Novak was a “former contributor” to its branch in Siberia. The media is classified as a “foreign agent” in Russia, a label generally used against free or opposition voices and accompanied by very strict administrative constraints.
