Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Bars Independent Broadcaster From Pool Over Navalny Protest Coverage

Reporters from both state-run and independent news outlets comprise the Kremlin pool. Aleksey Nikolskyi / Kremlin Pool / Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire / TASS

The Kremlin has barred the independent Dozhd broadcaster from the presidential press pool over its coverage of protests in support of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the independent Meduza news website.

Dozhd’s Kremlin pool reporter has been unable to attend Peskov’s press briefings since May 13, Meduza reported, and will be unable to travel with the pool to President Vladimir Putin’s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva.

“A few weeks ago we were informed that our correspondent can no longer work in the pool,” Dozhd chief editor Tikhon Dzyadko told Meduza on Sunday.

Peskov confirmed to Meduza that Dozhd’s correspondent was barred over its Navalny protest coverage.

“Yes, unfortunately this is connected. The channel supported illegal actions in those days,” Peskov told Meduza, referring to the fact that the protests hadn’t received the required approval in advance from the authorities.

Reporters from both state-run and independent news outlets comprise the Kremlin pool that follows Putin and reports on his everyday work.

Navalny was detained upon arrival in Moscow after recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent poisoning in Germany that he blames on the Kremlin, a charge Moscow denies. 

Tens of thousands across over 100 Russian cities took to the streets on two successive weekends to call for his release. Over 11,000 protesters were detained at the unsanctioned rallies, with widespread reports of police brutality against peaceful protesters. 

Following the protests, Russian police briefly detained a number of journalists from leading independent news outlets on suspicion of participating in the unauthorized demonstrations despite the journalists having press accreditation and editorial assignment letters.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more