Iran scholar Nikita Smagin has been fined 15,000 rubles on an administrative charge of cooperating with an “undesirable organization,” he announced in his Telegram channel.
The citation was based on his work with Meduza; TV Rain, an independent Russian broadcaster; RFE/RL’s Russian service; The Insider, an independent Russian investigative outlet; and the Carnegie Center.
Smagin said the articles and interviews cited in the ruling were mostly published in 2024.
A single administrative citation for cooperating with an “undesirable organization” can serve as the basis for a criminal charge punishable by up to four years in prison.
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