Kremlin labels independent news outlet Mediazona 'foreign agent' — for 2nd time
Pyotr Verzilov, a co-founder of the publication, told the Kyiv Independent that the designation only "adds power to the incredible reporting that the Mediazona team is doing."
Russia has once again classified independent news outlet Mediazona as a foreign agent, the outlet reported on August 21. ZP LLC, the entity that established Mediazona, was first listed on the country's foreign agents registry in 2021, but it was dissolved in 2024. The Justice Ministry cited Mediazona for spreading misinformation about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Despite this, Mediazona has been collaborating with the BBC Russian service to track and record the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which they have documented nearing 240,000 as of April 2026. The outlet also covers other topics, including the surge in violent crimes committed by Russian soldiers both on and off the battlefield.
Co-founder and former publisher Pyotr Verzilov expressed that the designation only enhances the impact of Mediazona's crucial reporting, calling it a "double recognition" of the significant influence the outlet wields in exposing the Russian state's actions. Mediazona was co-founded by Pussy Riot members Nadia Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina after their release from prison in 2014 for a protest against Putin in a Moscow cathedral.
As Russian authorities ramped up their efforts to suppress independent media, the country's foreign agents registry has become a tool for targeting and silencing dissent, especially among journalists, activists, and NGOs critical of Kremlin policies.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
