Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin deny “extremism” allegations related to the group founded by a late anti-Putin dissident.
Two Russian journalists have been arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and ordered by courts to remain in custody pending an investigation and trial into allegations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny .
Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the allegations and will therefore be detained for at least two months before a trial begins. According to Russian courts, both men face a minimum of two and a maximum of six years in prison for alleged “participation in an extremist organization.”
These are just the latest journalists arrested as part of Russia’s crackdown on dissent and independent media, which intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
The Russian government has passed laws that it says criminalize false information about the military or statements viewed as discrediting the military. This means that any criticism of the war in Ukraine and statements that deviate from the official narrative are criminalized.
A journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, was arrested for spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.
Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, which was banned by Russian authorities. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, died in an Arctic penal colony in February under unclear circumstances.
Gabov, who was arrested in Moscow on Saturday, is a freelance producer who has worked for several organizations, including the Reuters news agency, the court’s press service said.
Karelin, who has dual citizenship of Israel, was arrested in Russia’s northern Murmansk region on Friday evening.
Karelin, 41, has worked for a number of media outlets, including The Associated Press. He was a cameraman for Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the station from operating in Russia in February 2022.
“The Associated Press is deeply concerned about the detention of Russian video journalist Sergei Karelin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”
Russia’s crackdown on dissidents is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ community and Russians critical of the Kremlin. Several journalists have been detained in connection with their reporting on Navalny, including Antonina Favorskaya, who remains in custody until at least May 28 following a hearing last month.
Favorskaya was arrested by Russian authorities and accused of participating in an “extremist organization” by posting posts on Navalny’s foundation’s social media platforms. She covered Navalny’s trials for years and shot the last video of Navalny before he died in the penal colony.
Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, said Favorskaya had not posted anything on the foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities had targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.
Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is awaiting trial on espionage charges in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. Both Gershkovich and his employer have vehemently denied the allegations.
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 during a reporting trip and spent over a year in prison; Authorities have not detailed what evidence, if any, they have to support the espionage allegations.
The U.S. government has declared Gershkovich unjustly imprisoned and accused Moscow of using the journalist as a pawn for political purposes.
The Russian government is also taking tough action against opposition members. A prominent activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.