Russian authorities have filed administrative cases against several media outlets and editors under laws regulating mass media content, according to court records reviewed by exiled news outlet Mediazona.
The cases were submitted to Moscow's Judicial District No. 374 in the Tagansky district and involve alleged violations of Article 13.15 of Russia's administrative code, which covers abuses of media freedom.
Among the organizations facing charges are the legal entity of newspaper Kommersant, which was accused of disseminating what authorities describe as "false socially significant information," and media holding SIM, the former Rambler Group, which owns sports website Championat and culture publication Afisha Daily.
SIM was accused of distributing information about an organization designated as "extremist" by Russian authorities.
The cases come as Russia continues to tighten restrictions on independent journalism and media coverage more than four years after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a campaign that has been accompanied by sweeping censorship laws, criminal prosecutions and the closure or exile of many independent news organizations.
