Russia puts Masha Gessen on wanted list

The Russian Interior Ministry has put author and journalist Masha Gessen on its wanted list, according to Mediazona, who found the information in the ministry’s database.

The listing states that the basis for the warrant was “an article of the Criminal Code,” though it does not specify which one.

In late November, Dozhd reported that a criminal case had been opened against Gessen for spreading “fakes” about the Russian army. Ostensibly, the reason for the case was Gessen’s interview with journalist Yury Dud, which, among other things, discussed the crimes of the Russian army in Bucha.

Masha Gessen is known for being the former director of the Russian service of Radio Liberty. Their articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other American publications. Gessen’s book, The Future is History. How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia won the 2017 National Book Award, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United States.