Moscow court issues arrest warrant in absentia for Meduza co-founder and publisher Galina Timchenko

A Moscow court has issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Meduza publisher Galina Timchenko on charges of managing the activities of an “undesirable organization.” Records indicate that the court granted the prosecutors’ request on July 9, the same day it was received.

Criminal charges against Timchenko were first reported in May 2025. Russian officials allege that she published video recordings on the Internet “to foster protest sentiment, as well as to involve the public in the activities of an organization that has been declared undesirable on Russian territory.” Russia’s Prosecutor General banned Meduza as an “undesirable organization” in 2023. Timchenko was declared a “foreign agent” in August 2024.