Forbes journalist placed under house arrest for allegedly spreading fake news about Russian army

A Russian court recently placed Forbes journalist Sergey Mingazov under house arrest. This decision came after authorities detained him over allegations of spreading fake news about the Russian armed forces, as per the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Forbes Russia confirmed that Mingazov would remain under house arrest for at least two months while awaiting trial following his detention on Friday. RIA's report stated, "Forbes journalist Mingazov, detained in the case of spreading fake news about the Russian Armed Forces, has been placed under house arrest."

Mingazov's lawyer, Konstantin Bubon, disclosed that the journalist's detention stemmed from "reposting a publication about the events in Bucha (Ukraine)" on Telegram.

At the time of the incident, Mingazov's Telegram channel had 476 subscribers. He had shared stories about alleged atrocities by the Russian military in Bucha, near Kyiv, sourced from outlets like the BBC's Russian service and Radio Freedom.

Bubon elaborated that Mingazov faces accusations of disseminating "knowingly false information" about the Russian armed forces while presenting it as credible reporting.

Bucha was liberated by Ukrainian forces in March 2022, following its capture at the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February the same year. The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office accuses the Russian army of numerous war crimes in Bucha, leading to hundreds of civilian deaths. However, the Kremlin denies involvement in these incidents, insisting that the images of civilian casualties were fabricated.

Forbes Russia noted that Mingazov's house arrest is a "preventative measure," which can include custody, bail, or house arrest before a trial in Russia's legal system.

The court not only imposed house arrest but also restricted Mingazov from using the internet and communicating with individuals outside of close relatives, investigators, lawyers, and medical professionals.

On another front, the Investigative Committee of the Khabarovsk territory, without naming Mingazov, announced house arrest as a "preventative measure" for a man accused of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces.

The committee claimed that the individual, motivated by political bias, shared deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces, passing it off as reliable, in April 2022.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been an escalation in the crackdown on journalists, resulting in the arrest of notable figures such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty editor Alsu Kurmasheva and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Furthermore, courts have issued arrests in absentia for several journalists critical of the state, including Alexander Nevzorov, Dmitry Gordon, and Marina Ovsyannikova.