Moscow court fines Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Sokolov 30,000 rubles for discrediting Russian army

MOSCOW. Feb 29 (Interfax) - Moscow's Perovsky District Court has ordered Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles as a penalty for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, the court told Interfax.

"Sokolov has been assigned a penalty in the form of an administrative fine in the amount of 30,000 rubles," a court representative said on Thursday.

Sokolov has been convicted of committing actions aimed at discrediting use of the Russian Armed Forces.

Sokolov was detained by police officers on Wednesday morning, Novaya Gazeta said. He was taken to Moscow's Veshnyaki district police department, where "he was served a protocol on him committing an administrative offense in December 2023, specifically, 'discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces' by way of publishing a material on Novaya Gazeta's Telegram channel, it said.

Another Moscow court ruled to declare the state registration of Novaya Gazeta's printed version as a media outlet invalid in 2022. However, its employees are continuing their work.

Sokolov took over as the head of Novaya Gazeta in 2023 after Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dmitry Muratov (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) stepped down as the editor-in-chief pending court proceedings in which he was contesting his foreign agent status.