A criminal case has been opened against a Mediazona journalist under the “foreign agent” law.

A criminal case has been opened against Mediazona journalist Alla Konstantinova for violating the requirements for “foreign agents” (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). Mediazona reports this.

The investigator told Konstantinova that the criminal case had actually been initiated back on 24 April. The journalist was not notified about this.

The reason for the case is not known.

Previously, Konstantinova had been fined three times under protocols for breaching the obligations of a “foreign agent” (Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Most recently, on 9 June, she was fined 30,000 roubles (approx. US$330) under a protocol regarding the absence of a label disclosing her status on today’s publications. The protocol was drawn up due to a post featuring an outtake from a video about the youngest Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine. The other two administrative cases related to reports not submitted to the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice included Konstantinova in the “foreign agent” register in April 2022. In March 2025, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Ministry’s actions violated the right to freedom of expression and privacy, awarding compensation to Konstantinova and more than 30 others listed in the register.

Konstantinova does not live in Russia.