Russia’s Interior Ministry has put Meduza co-founder and publisher Galina Timchenko on its wanted list, the outlet Mediazona reported on Wednesday, citing the ministry’s official database.
The database entry states that Timchenko is “wanted under a criminal code article.” In May, the Russian authorities opened a felony case against her for allegedly organizing the activities of an “undesirable” organization in Russia.
According to state investigators, in September 2024 and March 2025, Timchenko posted videos online “aimed at stirring protest sentiment among citizens and involving them in the activities of an organization that has been declared undesirable in Russia.” The Investigative Committee did not specify what videos it was referring to.
The Russian Prosecutor General declared Meduza an “undesirable organization” in 2023, banning its activities in Russia. Two years earlier, in 2021, the Russian authorities had declared Meduza a “foreign agent” media outlet.
In August 2024, Russia’s Justice Ministry labeled Timchenko a “foreign agent.” Two months earlier, a Moscow court fined her 14,000 rubles (roughly $175) in a misdemeanor case related to her alleged involvement in the activities of an “undesirable organization.” (Meduza received this status in January 2023 for its independent reporting on the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.) Court records show that the fine was issued after Timchenko discussed the newsroom’s operations and answered readers’ emails during a podcast episode published in January 2024.
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