A criminal case has been opened against a Meduza journalist for involvement in the activities of an “undesirable” organisation.

The Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Moscow has opened a criminal case against Meduza journalist Dmitry Kuznets. This was reported on the agency’s channel.

Kuznets has been accused of involvement in the activities of an “undesirable” organisation (Part 1, Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code), namely the “Meduza Project” (Limited liability company (SIA) “Medusa Project”). The Prosecutor General’s Office labelled Meduza as “undesirable” in January 2023.

Kuznets is being charged over six audio recordings from February, March and April 2025, in which the journalist “disseminated informational materials about economic, political and social processes taking place in the Russian Federation.”

Investigators are currently considering whether to declare the journalist wanted.

7 August Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs put Dmitry Kuznets on the wanted list. The journalist’s profile was noted by Mediazona.

It states that he is wanted under an article of the Criminal Code, but the Interior Ministry has not specified which one.

• In April 2024, Kuznets was charged under a similar administrative article for participating in the activities of an “undesirable” organisation (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The reason was Kuznets’s participation in Meduza’s podcast “What Happened?.” Later, Dmitry Kuznets was fined 10,000 roubles (approx. US$110).