Ilya Azar

Affiliated media: Novaya Gazeta Europe, Journalist

Incident date: October 3, 2025

Attack type:

• Court trial

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Mediazona

Location: Russia, Moscow, Moscow

Additional information:

The Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow has sentenced journalist and former municipal deputy Ilya Azar in absentia to four years in prison for involvement in an “undesirable organisation.” Three other members of the group “Deputies of Peaceful Russia” received the same sentence, also in absentia. All four were additionally prohibited from managing websites for five years. In August 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office designated the anti-war association of independent Moscow deputies as “undesirable.” The criminal case stemmed from two articles published on the association’s website, and in April 2025, authorities conducted searches of its members’ homes. Azar and the other defendants currently reside abroad.