Moscow prosecutors launch criminal case against The Insider’s Timur Olevsky over his ties to an “undesirable organization”

The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office has opened a criminal case against Timur Olevsky, the head of the The Insider’s newsroom, on charges that he has participated in the activities of an “undesirable” organization.

According to a statement posted on the office’s Telegram channel earlier today, the case was launched in connection with three videos that allegedly “promote anti-Russian rhetoric, shape negative public opinion about the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation, and discredit government authorities.” The specific videos in question were not identified.

In the announcement put out by the prosecutor’s office, Olevsky was mistakenly identified as The Insider’s editor-in-chief, a role that belongs to “foreign agent” Roman Dobrokhotov. The journalist took it upon himself to correct the authorities, writing in an email to the Prosecutor’s Office:

“You call me the editor-in-chief of The Insider. But I am the editor-in-chief of The Insider’s newsroom. And I’m very proud of that. I’m afraid a mistake may have crept into the materials of the criminal case.”

Under Part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, the maximum sentence for participating in the activities of an “undesirable” organization is four years in prison. Olevsky does not reside in Russia.

The Insider and its investigative partner Bellingcat were declared “undesirable organizations” in Russia in July 2022, shortly after being recognized as “foreign agents.” At the time, the Prosecutor General’s Office claimed the work of both outlets “poses a threat to the constitutional order and security” of the Russian Federation.

Other media outlets that have received the designation include Novaya Gazeta Europe, The Moscow Times, and TV Rain.

The designation is merely one form of pressure used by the Russian state in its efforts to silence independent media — along with any other voices it deems a threat. Journalists at The Insider who are currently being persecuted for their work include investigative reporters Sergei Ezhov, Andrey Zayakin, Anastasia Mikhaylova, and Andrey Zakharov, as well as editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov, who was the subject of a foiled kidnapping and murder plot orchestrated by the FSB.