Russia issues arrest warrant for journalist who called for people to stay away from enlistment offices

Russia’s Interior Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for Andrey Serafimov, a journalist from Tomsk who left the country after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

In December 2023, Serafimov told the outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe that the Russian authorities had launched a case against him for allegedly calling for activities directed against state security. The specific reason for the charges is unclear, but Serafimov has speculated that they might be related to social media posts in which he told people not to accept military summonses and not to go to enlistment offices.

According to Serafimov, police have twice shown up at his family’s home in Russia.