A court has sentenced a Dozhd journalist to detention in absentia in a case concerning evasion of ‘foreign agent’ obligations.

The Petrovsky District Court of Moscow has ordered the detention in absentia of Dozhd presenter Yuliya Taratuta in a case concerning evasion of ‘foreign agent’ obligations (Part 2, Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by TASS.

According to investigators, by 15 January at the latest, Taratuta failed to submit certain information to the relevant authorities as required by law.

The criminal case against the journalist became known in March this year. In April, she was declared wanted.

The Ministry of Justice added Taratuta to the ‘foreign agents’ register in December 2022. In August 2023, she was fined 30,000 roubles (approx. US$330) for failing to submit a ‘foreign agent’ activity report on time. She was then issued another fine (the amount is redacted in the published decision) for a similar infraction. The journalist currently lives outside Russia.