Key facts
- Russia's Justice Ministry designated the independent news outlet Mediazona as a 'foreign agent'.
- The designation is applied to foreign-funded organizations deemed to be engaged in political activity.
- The ministry stated Mediazona disseminated false information about Russia's law enforcement system.
- This is the second time Mediazona has received the 'foreign agent' designation.
- Mediazona's website was blocked in Russia in March 2022.
Russia's Justice Ministry has designated the independent news outlet Mediazona as a "foreign agent," a label used for foreign-funded organizations accused of political activity. The ministry stated that Mediazona disseminated false information regarding Russia's law enforcement system. This marks the second time the outlet has received this designation, which subjects designated entities to increased government scrutiny and carries negative Soviet-era connotations.
Mediazona confirmed the designation via its Telegram channel. Pyotr Verzilov, a co-founder and former publisher of Mediazona, described the ministry's statement as "incredibly crazy." The news outlet was initially designated a "foreign agent" in 2021, but its legal entity, ZP LLC, was liquidated in 2024. In March 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the state communications regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Mediazona's website within Russia. Furthermore, Russian authorities have initiated criminal cases against several Mediazona journalists, including editor-in-chief Sergei Smirnov, who are currently operating from abroad.
Mediazona has been working with the BBC Russian service to compile and maintain a list of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. As of April 2026, they have identified nearly 240,000 soldiers' deaths. The outlet has also reported on issues such as the rise in violent crimes committed by Russian soldiers at the front and in the rear. Verzilov stated that the designation "adds power to the incredible reporting that the Mediazona team is doing" and is a "double recognition of the amazing influence Mediazona has on (exposing) the Russian state."
Mediazona was co-founded by Pussy Riot members Nadia Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina after their release from prison in 2014 for an anti-Putin protest performance, as Russian authorities intensified their crackdown on independent media. Russia's "foreign agents" registry has become a government tool for targeting and silencing dissent, particularly among independent journalists, activists, and NGOs critical of Kremlin policies.