Criminal case opened against journalist Galina Timchenko - Russian Investigative Committee

MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - The journalist Galina Timchenko (designated a foreign agent in Russia) will be placed on a wanted list on suspicion of organizing the activities of a foreign organization designated undesirable in Russia, the Moscow branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.

"A criminal case against Galina Timchenko has been opened in Moscow," the statement said. She is suspected of organizing the activities of a foreign or international organization whose activities were recognized as undesirable in Russia, it said.

"The matter of declaring Timchenko wanted is under consideration," the statement said.

According to the inquiry, "in September 2024 and in March 2025 Timchenko published online video recordings in order to form protest sentiments among citizens and get them involved with an organization, on which a decision has been made to designate it undesirable on Russian territory," the statement said.

On August 30 Timchenko, the publisher of the Meduza project (designated an undesirable organization in Russia), was placed by the Justice Ministry on its register of foreign agents.

Timchenko was involved "in distributing reports and materials of foreign agents among an unidentified number of persons, spoken against the special military operation in Ukraine, and circulated inaccurate information on decisions made by the Russian Federation's public authorities and the policy they pursue," the ministry said.

The Russian Justice Ministry on April 23, 2021 placed the Medusa Project publications (Meduza) on its list of media outlets acting as foreign agents. According to the register, Meduza is a legal entity registered in the Republic of Latvia in 2014 (SIA Medusa Project).

In January 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office found the project's activities in Russia to be undesirable. Meduza's information resources in Russia are currently blocked.