Criminal cases have been opened against TV Rain journalists over “foreign agent” status and anti-war publications.

The Moscow Investigative Committee has opened criminal cases against TV Rain journalists Ekaterina Kotrikadze, Valeria Ratnikova and Tikhon Dzyadko. This was reported by the official Telegram channel of the Moscow branch of the Investigative Committee.

All three are accused under articles relating to the dissemination of “fake news” about the Russian army (clause “d” part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) and of evading the obligations of a “foreign agent” (part 2, article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

The agency writes: “According to the investigation, the individuals concerned posted publications in one of the messengers, accessible to an unlimited number of people, which, according to the analysis, contained deliberately false information about the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation against the civilian population of Ukraine.”

At various times the Ministry of Justice declared Kotrikadze, Ratnikova and Dzyadko “foreign agents.” All three have been repeatedly fined for refusing to comply with the “foreign agent” legislation. They are not currently in Russia.

The Investigative Committee also writes that it is considering putting Kotrikadze and Ratnikova on a wanted list. The TV Rain editor-in-chief, Tikhon Dzyadko, was put on the wanted list in April 2025, though the reason was not known at the time. The agency has now clarified that this was related to a “foreign agent” criminal case.

The Investigative Committee wrote: “The investigation established that he, in violation of the rules for the activities of a foreign agent stipulated by the Federal Law ‘On Control over the Activities of Persons under Foreign Influence,’ did not submit to the authorised body the information required by law.”