The number of misdemeanor charges brought against ‘foreign agents’ in Russia for repeat violations has sharply risen

Since the end of summer 2023, the number of designated “foreign agents” in Russia who have had two misdemeanor charges brought against them for violations has sharply risen, Mediazona calculates. The number of repeat charges doubled, or even tripled, from September to October. Violations include things like the failure to add a required label on social media posts and inaccuracies in reports submitted to the Russian Justice Ministry. A third violation carries the threat of felony charges and up to two years in prison.

Previously, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal censorship agency, was responsible for most monitoring of “foreign agents.” However, Mediazona discovered that the Justice Ministry is now actively involved in drafting charges and penalizing “foreign agents” for errors in reports.