Mediazona editor Sergei Smirnov sentenced in absentia to one year in prison

A magistrate in Moscow’s Maryina Roshcha district sentenced Mediazona editor-in-chief Sergei Smirnov in absentia to one year in prison on October 14, the Moscow City Court press service said.

Smirnov was convicted under Part 2 of Article 330.1 of Russia’s Criminal Code, concerning evasion of obligations imposed by foreign agent legislation. The court also barred him from activities involving website administration for two years.

Interfax and the Russian Legal Information Agency obtained details of the sentence from the court’s press service. Their reports did not specify whether the judgment had entered into legal force or whether an appeal had been filed.

Russia’s Justice Ministry added Smirnov to its foreign agent media register on September 30, 2021. Mediazona publisher Pyotr Verzilov, the company ZP associated with the project, and Zona Prava were also listed at that time.

The publication Mediazona was separately added to the foreign agent register in August 2026. Both Smirnov and the outlet carry that designation in Russia.