Russia's Novaya Gazeta fined $5,700 for 'abusing media freedom'

The Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta said it had been fined 350,000 roubles ($5,700) on Wednesday for "abusing media freedom". The fine was for an eyewitness report from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson published in March, which Novaya Gazeta deleted from its website at the request of Russia's media watchdog, spokesperson Nadezhda Prusenkova said.

The Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta said it had been fined 350,000 roubles ($5,700) on Wednesday for "abusing media freedom".

The fine was for an eyewitness report from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson published in March, which Novaya Gazeta deleted from its website at the request of Russia's media watchdog, spokesperson Nadezhda Prusenkova said. She said the outlet planned to appeal.

Novaya Gazeta has been one of the leading lights of Russia's beleaguered independent media since the 1990s, and its editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, was jointly awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to safeguard freedom of expression. It suspended operations inside Russia in March after repeated warnings by the media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, about its coverage of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia has made it a crime to publish reports about the conflict that differ from official accounts.