Russia: new law expands the Kremlin’s legal persecution of exiled journalists

"Russians who have left the country should start thinking about how they will appear before a court and confess," announced Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma (the Russian term for parliament), ahead of the vote on a new law targeting citizens living in exile who are accused of "harming Russia" without facing any administrative or criminal punishment. Adopted unanimously by the upper house of parliament on 24 July and expected to be signed into law shortly by President Vladimir Putin, the legislation enables the authorities to impose sweeping restrictions on exiled Russians who have been placed on the notorious "foreign agents" register or prosecuted for cooperating with "undesirable organisations" - notably journalists. According to the independent Russian NGO OVD-Info, media professionals are the largest professional group targeted by the "foreign agent" and "undesirable organisation" labels, accounting for more than one third of all names on both lists. The number of media organisations and workers on these lists has increased sixfold since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Under the new law, those affected by these lists may face:

• having their bank accounts frozen and their access to online bank services suspended;
• a ban on selling real estate or vehicles;
• the revocation of their driver's licences;
• any income earned in Russia being paid into special bank accounts that allow the authorities to seize funds to cover fines or legal costs;
• being blocked from Gosuslugi, Russia's main website for public services, preventing them from carrying out most administrative procedures;
• being denied consular services, including passport renewal and civil registration.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 1,500 Russian journalists have been forced to seek refuge abroad to escape government repression. Russian authorities have increasingly relied on legal mechanisms to prosecute them beyond the country's borders.

An ever-expanding legal arsenal against independent journalism

Russia's legal arsenal against independent voices continues to grow year after year. The laws on "foreign agents" and "undesirable organisations" - which includes RSF, which was listed as "undesirable" in August 2025 - were adopted in 2012 and 2015 and significantly expanded in 2021 and 2024. They are now widely used against independent media.

This legislation was complemented by the "fake news" and "discrediting the army" laws adopted immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 to censor media coverage. Publishing information about the Russian military that contradicts the Kremlin's official narrative is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The latest stage of this criminalisation of journalism is the use of Russia's "terrorism and extremism" legislation as a weapon against independent media. Around 60 news professionals are currently listed as "terrorists and extremists" by the country's financial monitoring agency.

Text: Pauline Maufrais