Support The Moscow Times!

EU Sanctions Russia’s Chief Denunciator Mizulina Over Free Speech Abuses

Yekaterina Mizulina. Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency

The European Union on Monday announced sanctions against the Kremlin-aligned Safe Internet League and its head Yekaterina Mizulina for silencing Russian anti-war content creators and reinforcing government censorship.

“The [European] Council today approved additional restrictive measures… in view of the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia,” the Council of the EU said in a statement.

Mizulina is in charge of “initiating official complaints to the Russian law enforcement agencies against internet content creators, i.e. bloggers, as well as musicians, celebrities and influencers,” the EU decision reads.

“As a result, Yekaterina Mizulina is forcing Russian internet content creators and artists either to delete anti-government content or to create content in favor of the Russian government and its policies.”

Mizulina, 39, is the daughter of former senator Yelena Mizulina, who has been under Western sanctions since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Her Safe Internet League was co-founded by Orthodox businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, according to the EU’s sanctions listing.

Two Russian judges and a prosecutor were also sanctioned for targeting Kremlin critics like Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for treason and “fake news” about the war in Ukraine.

The trio are accused of issuing “biased decisions in politically motivated cases” which are “based on false allegations.”

The sanctions impose an asset freeze and a ban on traveling to the EU.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis 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