Sergey Kovalchenko

Affiliated media: Vot Tak, Editor

Incident date: April 19, 2025

Attack type:

• Criminal/administrative prosecution excluding (1), (2) and (3)

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Mediazona

Location: Russia, Saint Petersburg, Saint-Petersburg

Additional information:

On March 19, the St. Petersburg branch of the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Sergey Kovalchenko, editor of Vot Tak, accusing him of evading his obligations as a “foreign agent.” The journalist attributed the case to his professional work, stating, “The Russian state is responding to what I say and write.” Kovalchenko was designated a “foreign agent” in October 2023 and has been fined three times under the relevant law. In 2022 he moved to Estonia.