n the heart of Moscow, Sergei Sokolov, the chief editor of the esteemed Russian autonomous journal, Novaya Gazeta, found himself under the scrutiny of law enforcement from Russia’s Center for Combating Extremism (Center E) on Thursday. Following his detainment, Sokolov faced a subsequent fine of 30,000 rubles ($329) during a hearing at a Moscow court on the same day, all under the allegations of tarnishing the reputation of Russia’s armed forces, as disclosed by Novaya Gazeta.

The charges labeled against Sokolov, deemed as “administrative,” typically inviting fines or brief incarceration, were intricately linked to content disseminated through the publication’s Telegram channel. Authorities, upon examination, asserted the presence of “linguistic and psychological signs of verbally discrediting the actions of power structures” within the material, according to Novaya Gazeta.

The media oversight entity, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), took to the digital platform X, previously recognized as Twitter, to express its dissent. RSF strongly contested the arrest, citing it as a stark example of the stringent censorship prevailing in Russia.

Sokolov ascended to the helm of Novaya Gazeta’s editorial team in September 2023, succeeding the longstanding editor-in-chief, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, who had been designated a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities. This move followed a Moscow court’s revocation of Novaya Gazeta’s license in September 2022, marking another step in the ongoing governmental clampdown on dissent, particularly targeting Kremlin critics.

A little over two years ago, in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deployment of troops into Ukraine, the Kremlin-backed parliament endorsed legislation criminalizing the disparagement of the Russian military or the dissemination of “false information” regarding the nation’s invasion of Ukraine.

This resulted in the prohibition of numerous independent Russian media outlets, with several others announcing a cessation of any coverage related to Ukraine. In March 2022, Novaya Gazeta itself declared a suspension of its operations for the duration of the Ukrainian conflict. However, resilient members of Novaya Gazeta’s team who relocated abroad initiated a new venture, Novaya Gazeta Europe, a project vehemently critical of Russia’s intervention in its neighboring country.