Country
Russia
Government actions against journalists in Russia
RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Russia is in Eastern Europe, Europe. The record holds 16 incidents in which the government of Russia, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Detention and violence: 3 incidents · ladder
- Official labels: 3 incidents · ladder
- Licensing and closure of outlets: 3 incidents · ladder
- Funding and ownership pressure: 2 incidents · ladder
- Insult and defamation laws: 2 incidents · ladder
- Shutdowns and blocking: 2 incidents · ladder
- Access bans: 1 incident · ladder
- Expulsion and visa denial: 1 incident · ladder
- Lawsuits against the press: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
- Secrets and espionage laws: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2026
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 August 2026 | Russia: asset freezes on exiled "foreign agents", Aug 2026 | Official labels | Pressure | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (4 August 2026) |
2023
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 March 2023 | Russia: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years | Detention and violence | Eliminate | Vladimir Putin | Reversed (1 August 2024) |
| 15 February 2023 | Russia: journalist Maria Ponomarenko is sentenced to six years for reporting on a Mariupol strike | Insult and defamation laws | Eliminate | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (15 February 2023) |
2022
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2022 | Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treason | Secrets and espionage laws | Eliminate | Vladimir Putin | Ongoing (5 September 2022) |
| 5 September 2022 | Russia: a Moscow court suspends Novaya Gazeta's print license | Licensing and closure of outlets | Silence | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (5 September 2022) |
| 16 June 2022 | Russia: entry bans, visa restrictions and bureau closures for foreign correspondents | Access bans | Punish | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (16 June 2022) |
| 18 May 2022 | Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelled | Expulsion and visa denial | Punish | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (18 May 2022) |
| 4 March 2022 | Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outlets | Shutdowns and blocking | Silence | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (4 March 2022) |
| 4 March 2022 | Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prison | Insult and defamation laws | Punish | Vladimir Putin | Sustained |
2021
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 April 2021 | Russia: independent outlet Meduza designated a 'foreign agent' | Official labels | Pressure | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (23 April 2021) |
2019
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 March 2019 | Russia: new laws penalize online "fake news" and "disrespecting authorities" | Official labels | Pressure | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (7 March 2019) |
2018
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 October 2018 | Russia: outlet fined $338,000 under the foreign agents law | Lawsuits against the press | Pressure | Vladimir Putin | Ongoing (26 October 2018) |
2006
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 October 2006 | Investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya is shot dead in Moscow; a former police officer is later convicted of organizing the killing | Detention and violence | Eliminate | Vladimir Putin | Upheld by a court (9 June 2014) |
2001
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2001 | State-controlled Gazprom takes formal control of Russia's independent NTV television network | Funding and ownership pressure | Silence | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (14 April 2001) |
1986
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 1986 | Soviet Union: arrest and seven-week detention of American correspondent Nicholas Daniloff in Moscow, 1986 | Detention and violence | Punish | Mikhail Gorbachev | Reversed (29 September 1986) |
1922
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Glavlit created: Soviet censorship office, 1922 | Prior restraint | Silence | Vladimir Lenin | Ongoing (1 January 1989) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Russia · Europe