In March, six journalists were detained in Russia as part of the government’s crackdown on the press and opposition. One of the journalists, Antonina Favorskaya, was ordered to remain in prison until May 28 by a Moscow court. Favorskaya had been covering Navalny’s trials in Russian courts for years, along with other critics of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. The accusations against her claim that she collected material, edited, and produced videos for Navalny’s Foundation to Combat Corruption, which was declared extremist by Russian authorities.
Favorskaya’s arrest coincided with the first anniversary of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich’s arrest on espionage charges in Russia. Two other journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, who were colleagues of Favorskaya, were also arrested, according to independent Russian outlet SOTAvision. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, denied Favorskaya’s involvement in producing materials for the organization
