Russian court brands The Insider and its journalists ‘foreign agents’ after Deripaska lawsuits

A court ruling escalates Russia’s pressure on independent media. Now, The Insider and its reporters must comply—or pay the price for defiance.

, and Administrator

2025 November 15 . 9:23 PM

1 min read

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Russian court brands The Insider and its journalists ‘foreign agents’ after Deripaska lawsuits

Russian media outlet The Insider and its journalists Roman Dobrokhotov and Sergei Yezhov have been labeled 'foreign agents'. Maria Pevchikh, another journalist, has also been included in this designation. The move follows a series of legal actions initiated by Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska.

Earlier this year, the Ust-Labinsky District Court ruled in favor of Deripaska in a defamation lawsuit against Pevchikh and Google. The case revolved around a 2024 publication on The Insider’s YouTube channel and website, alleging Deripaska violated Western sanctions and reached a settlement with the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The Arbitration Court of Krasnodar Territory later fully upheld another lawsuit filed by Deripaska against The Insider and Dobrokhotov and Yezhov. The court ordered the defendants to remove the false information and issue a retraction. Additionally, a daily fine of 10,000 rubles was imposed for any non-compliance.

In 2024, The Insider and its website disseminated false information claiming that Deripaska had violated sanctions and reached a settlement with OFAC. The search results did not specify who published these false claims.

Following these legal actions, The Insider has been designated an 'undesirable organization' and listed as a foreign agent in Russia. The outlet and its journalists face potential fines for non-compliance with the court's orders. The implications of these designations and rulings on press freedom in Russia remain to be seen.