MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia’s justice ministry on Friday declared media outlet TV Rain (Dozhd) a “foreign agent”, part of what Kremlin opponents say is a crackdown on critical media before a parliamentary election next month.
The government uses the “foreign agent” designation to label foreign-funded organisations it says are engaged in political activity.
The term carries negative Soviet-era connotations and subjects those designated to extra government scrutiny.
Chief editor, Tikhon Dzyadko, said the outlet will appeal the decision.
“The position is very simple. The Dozhd TV channel is not a foreign agent. Moreover, the Dozhd TV channel is not any other agent, The Dozhd TV channel is a Russian media,” he wrote on social media.
He added that the channel’s funding sources were “well known” as its financial reports were freely available on its website.
Denying a crackdown is under way, the Kremlin has described Russia’s media market as vibrant, with many different outlets to choose from
But several Russian media outlets labelled as foreign agents have opted to shut down as finding sponsors and advertisers became almost impossible.
TV Rain operates online, behind a pay wall, and has long been a platform where Kremlin critics who are unable to get on state TV have been able to express their views.
It made its name as an independent cable and Internet outlet during opposition protests in the winter of 2011-12 but suffered a huge financial blow when cable operators in one fell swoop cancelled their contracts with the channel in 2014.
It was also forced to move office several times as it ceased to be a desirable tenant, for a while resorting to broadcasting from an employee’s flat until eventually setting up a studio in a trendy business and shopping centre.
Investigative journalists working for another outlet, iStories, were also added to the list of foreign agent media on Friday, the official register showed.
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Vladimir SoldatkinEditing by Andrew Osborn, Kirsten Donovan)
