Russia Targets TV Rain Editor with Arrest Warrant Amidst Undesirable Designation

Russian law enforcement has issued a warrant for the arrest of Tikhon Dzyadko, the editor-in-chief of the exiled broadcaster TV Rain, according to a report by the news website Mediazona on Wednesday.

Dzyadko was listed as a wanted person in the database of the Russian Interior Ministry following administrative charges filed against him and three other journalists by a Moscow court in February, claiming they had connections with an “undesirable” organization.

TV Rain, where Dzyadko has held the chief editor position since 2019, was classified as “undesirable” in Russia in 2023.

This classification prohibits the network’s operations within Russia, places its employees at risk of incarceration, and criminalizes any interaction with the broadcaster, such as sharing its content online.

Following the onset of the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russian authorities mandated TV Rain to halt its operations. The independent network subsequently moved to Riga, Latvia, and then later to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

In October 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry also designated Dzyadko as a “foreign agent.”

In July 2023, a Moscow court imposed a fine on Dzyadko for failing to meet “foreign agent” obligations, which require meticulous financial reporting and the inclusion of “foreign agent” notices in publications and social media updates.