Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court on Friday ordered the pre-trial detention in absentia of exiled political commentator Ekaterina Schulmann on charges of failing to comply with the country’s “foreign agent” law.
Schulmann, a prominent commentator on parliamentary politics, left Russia for Germany in early 2022 to pursue academic work shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian law enforcement authorities issued a warrant for her arrest earlier this year, though the notice was later removed from the Interior Ministry’s public database.
Schulmann is currently a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, part of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Russian prosecutors designated Carnegie “undesirable” in July 2024, effectively banning its operations in Russia and exposing its affiliates to possible criminal prosecution.
Schulmann was designated a “foreign agent” in 2022. She was fined 50,000 rubles ($600) last year for failing to include a designation label in public appearances and statements, including social media posts.
However, the commentator insists that she complies with the law, saying that she includes the designation label in all of her posts in order to inform the public that “these laws are used even against nice people like me.”
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.
Remind me later.
