Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested prominent anti-war journalist Sasha Alexandrova on charges of “terrorist propaganda,” media in the republic of Sakha (Yakutia) reported Friday, citing anonymous sources.
Alexandrova, who previously worked for several media outlets in the republic of Sakha before founding her own news platform, left Russia after the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
She returned to her home region last year, after which colleagues noted that her anti-war rhetoric had “changed,” seemingly to avoid Russia’s wartime crackdown on dissent.
According to the news website Vesti Yakutia, FSB agents arrested Alexandrova on Thursday. She faces criminal charges of publicly calling for terrorism, justifying terrorism and spreading terrorist propaganda.
The exiled news outlet Govorit NeMoskva, which covers Russia’s regions, reported — without citing sources — that Alexandrova was placed in pre-trial detention.
Her arrest has not been officially confirmed, and it was not immediately possible to verify the claim.
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