Russia bans The Moscow Times as ‘undesirable organization’

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has declared The Moscow Times an “undesirable organization,” banning the independent English-language newspaper from operating in Russia.

“This publication’s work aims to discredit the decisions of the Russian Federation’s leadership in both foreign and domestic policy,” the office said in its announcement. Among other things, it cited the outlet’s collaborations with Meduza, The Insider, iStories, and Radio Liberty, which have also been outlawed as “undesirable.”

Anyone who “participates or cooperates” with organizations designated as “undesirable” in Russia can face felony prosecution.

The Prosecutor General’s Office also noted that it previously blocked The Moscow Times in Russia “due to the systemic publication of materials containing false socially significant information aimed at discrediting the activities of our country’s state authorities in conducting the special military operation.”

This Moscow Times was founded in Russia’s capital in 1992. It moved its headquarters to Amsterdam in 2022 after the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.