Russian censor threatens to block iStories over joint investigation with outlawed Proekt

Russia’s censorship agency (Roskomnadzor) threatened to block the website of the investigative journalism outlet iStories over a report on Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov’s connections in the waste removal industry.

According to iStories editor-in-chief Roman Anin, Roskomnadzor attributed its actions to the fact that the investigation was prepared jointly with Proekt, an investigative outlet the Russian authorities outlawed as an “undesirable” organization in July 2021. The censorship agency demanded that iStories take down the report within 24 hours.

Anin added that he made the decision to delete the investigation, in order to prevent the authorities from “blocking all [iStories] articles — both past and present.” The editor-in-chief also apologized to the outlet’s readers “for having been forced to obey the censor’s demands” and promised that the article would soon be restored. 

The iStories investigation, titled “How Sergey Chemezov’s people got the garbage business for cheap,” was published in September 2020. It uncovered that the largest companies that benefited from Russia’s garbage reform were actually sold to Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov’s trusted associates for next to nothing.