Russia has added Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to its list of “undesirable organizations,” effectively banning the media watchdog from operating in the country.
Under a controversial law adopted in 2015 — rarely used before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — authorities can prohibit foreign organizations deemed a threat to national security. Staff members of groups labeled “undesirable” face potential criminal prosecution.
The Kremlin has intensified its decade-long crackdown on independent media since sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, introducing censorship laws that outlaw criticism of the military.
RSF, headquartered in France, has consistently condemned attacks on freedom of expression and provides support to persecuted journalists, according to RFE/RL.
Just last month, a Russian court sentenced a journalist and former volunteer for the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny — whose organizations have been declared “extremist” — to 12 years in prison. RSF described her imprisonment as “a symbol of the Kremlin’s suppression of independent voices” and called for her release, along with all journalists detained in Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Justice’s list of “undesirable” entities now includes around 250 organizations, among them Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and Yale University.
