In a closed trial emblematic of Russia’s suppression of free press, four independent reporters were convicted for their coverage of the late opposition leader. Their crime? “Doing their job,” according to Navalny’s allies.
BY PC Bureau
Russia has sentenced four journalists to five and a half years in a penal colony, intensifying its crackdown on independent media and dissent. The individuals were accused of ties to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to a report by the Kyiv Post.
The journalists — Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artem Kriger — were found guilty of “participating in an extremist group” in a closed trial at Moscow’s Nagatinsky District Court. Only the sentencing was open to the public, a growing trend in politically sensitive cases since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Navalny, who was widely seen as President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent opponent, was declared an “extremist” by Russian authorities before his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. His political organizations were outlawed in 2021, just months before the Ukraine invasion, and his associates and supporters have since faced relentless persecution.
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The four journalists had covered Navalny’s activities and legal proceedings. Kravtsova, 34, a photographer who reported for the independent outlet SOTAvision under the pen name Antonina Favorskaya, had closely followed Navalny’s trials and filmed his final court appearance just two days before his death. Video journalists Gabov and Karelin were accused of producing content for Navalny’s social media platforms. Both had also contributed to major international media — Gabov for Reuters, and Karelin for Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. Kriger, 24, the youngest of the group, had reported on political trials and protests for SOTAvision.
A Moscow court sentenced 4 journalists for alleged involvement in Navalny’s “extremist” @ACF_int: Antonina Favorskaya, Artem Krieger (both @sotavisioneng), Konstantin Gabov (@Reuters) and Sergei Karelin (@AP) to 5.5 years in prison
📷 Alexandra Astakhova/Mediazona https://t.co/vLdV1jvBGd pic.twitter.com/EHJULh4CVy
— Mediazona (@mediazona_en) April 15, 2025
All four denied the charges and announced plans to appeal. “The sentence is unlawful and unjust,” said Yelena Sheremetyeva, one of Kriger’s lawyers. Irina Biryukova, representing Gabov, added: “No evidence was presented. Their guilt was not proven.”
Outside the courtroom, around a hundred supporters, fellow journalists, and Western diplomats gathered to hear the verdict. Supporters applauded the defendants and shouted words of encouragement, including “You are the pride of Russia!”
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Navalny’s widow’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, condemned the verdict, stating on social media that the journalists were being punished merely “for doing their job.” She added: “Antonina, Artem, Sergei, and Konstantin are real journalists and just honest, brave people. They should be released immediately.”
Germany’s foreign ministry also denounced the sentencing, declaring that in “Putin’s Russia, the freedom of the press enshrined in the Constitution is worth nothing.”
Since Navalny’s death, Russian authorities have escalated their targeting of his associates. In January, three of his former defense lawyers were sentenced to prison. Meanwhile, the government has continued its broad suppression of independent media, bolstered by strict censorship laws passed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that criminalize criticism of the military. Many media outlets have been forced to shut down or flee the country.
Speaking after his sentencing, Kriger remained defiant. “Everything will be fine. Everything will change,” he said. “Those who sentenced me will be sitting here instead of me.”
