Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has branded Meduza, the largest independent media outlet working for a Russian audience, an undesirable organisation. The official pretext lies in the claim that Meduza apparently poses a threat to the “foundations of Russia’s constitutional system and its security”.

We are certain that our colleagues are persecuted for their high professional standards in covering Russia’s criminal war against Ukraine.

Modern Russia is no stranger to “undesirable media”. Our colleagues from other Russian-language media faced the same fate: IStories, Project, and The Insider.

Nevertheless, it is the first time that the state is directly seeking to exterminate an outlet with millions of followers, the main independent source of news and stories for Russian-speaking readers.

We believe that by doing so, the Russian authorities steer the country towards a full isolation of its citizens from any independent information about the war and how it will affect Russia’s society.

It is clear that the state propaganda is failing, and any opposition to it should be uprooted.

The Kremlin demands that we give up and leave our fellow Russians alone to soak in the propaganda. We cannot allow this.

Moreover, if the largest independent media in the country can be declared “undesirable”, it severely devalues this status, just like any other repressions and threats made by Russian officials against the backdrop of the war.

We stand with Meduza and urge every independent journalist to do the same.