Russian law enforcement has detained Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor from the US state-run media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), over failing to register as a foreign agent and gathering sensitive military data, two sources reported on Thursday.
According to both RFE/RL and the local news agency Tatar Inform, Kurmasheva was apprehended in the city of Kazan, central Russia. She normally lives in Prague.
Tatar Inform claims in its report, citing a source familiar with the matter, that investigators believe that in September 2022, Kurmasheva, who holds both Russian and US passports, was “deliberately gathering military data on Russia’s activities to further transfer it to foreign sources,” which could potentially undermine national security.
According to the source, the editor is believed to have obtained data about several local university professors who had been allegedly mobilized amid the Ukraine conflict. She then proceeded to use this information to compile “alternative analytical materials” for foreign institutions to discredit Russia, the news agency claims.
The authorities also reportedly believe that Kurmasheva violated Russian law, as she failed to provide the necessary documents to be listed as a foreign agent. The charge can carry a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 300,000 rubles ($3,000).
Enacted in late 2012, Russia’s foreign agent law permits the identification of individuals and nonprofit organizations involved in political activities and receiving foreign funding. Although the label itself doesn’t impose civil or criminal sanctions, unlike the US law it was patterned after, those designated must contend with burdensome reporting obligations. Failure to comply with the law may result in substantial fines and potential legal consequences for both individuals and organizations.
According to RFE/RL, Kurmasheva, who is a long-term resident of the Czech Republic, traveled to Russia in May due to a family emergency. She was briefly detained while waiting for her return flight in early June and fined for failure to register her US passport with the authorities, after which both her Russian and US passports were confiscated, the report said.
Meanwhile, Tatar Info also claimed that the journalist may also face charges for publishing a book that allegedly smeared Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
Originally founded as a CIA cut-out after World War 2, RFE/RL – which is funded by the US Congress – spearheaded Washington’s Cold War-era anti-communism propaganda efforts both in the Soviet Union and its Eastern bloc allies.
It continued its operations after the collapse of the Soviet Union, eventually being labeled as a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities in 2020. In 2022, it was blocked in the country over spreading “fake news” about the hostilities in Ukraine.
