Russian prosecutors have declared investigative news outlets Bellingcat and The Insider "a threat" to the country and banned them as "undesirables" from operating inside Russia.
They also barred a Prague-based group that seeks to advance the rule of law and safeguard rights called the CEELI Institute, according to the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office website.
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The Prosecutor-General's Office alleges that the groups' work "poses a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the Russian Federation."
Prosecutors reportedly informed the Justice Ministry so it could include the groups on a national list of "undesirable" organizations. That list now includes 56 organizations.
The move threatens individuals who cooperate with those groups with possible criminal penalties.
The Dutch-based open-source sleuthing group Bellingcat has published hard-hitting investigative reports on the downing of the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine eight years ago, Russian intelligence activities including alleged attempted assassinations abroad, and other sensitive topics.
It was founded by British journalist Eliot Higgins in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea and Russia-backed separatists launched armed warfare in eastern Ukraine.
The Insider is based in Riga and was founded by journalist and activist Roman Dobrokhotov. It has frequently collaborated with Bellingcat on investigative work.
The Insider has reported extensively on suspected Russian poisonings, including of Kremlin critics like Aleksei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza, as well as on alleged covert Russian actions abroad.
Both Bellingcat and The Insider are also reporting extensively on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The CEELI Institute lists its mission as strengthening judicial independence and integrity, fighting corruption, supporting civil society, and building legal skills and capacity. It says it is funded by corporate and individual donations.
The "undesirable" list has been used to punish or muzzle many critics of Russian authorities, and its use has intensified since Russia launched its all-out war on Ukraine in February.
A court in Krasnodar Krai is expected to issue a verdict on July 15 in the case of Andrei Pivovarov, the former executive director of the pro-democracy Open Russia movement, on charges that he headed an “undesirable” organization.
He's called the prosecution "ridiculous."