Russia puts Barents Observer journalist Denys Zahore on wanted list — The Guardian

In Kirkenes, Norway, Barents Observer journalist Denys Zahore has been added to the wanted database of the Russian Interior Ministry, the aggressor state. Officials in Murmansk have also filed a motion for his arrest in absentia. As The Guardian reports, Zahore became the third member of the editorial team living in exile in Kirkenes to end up on Russia's wanted list.

Persecution of journalists

The Russian Interior Ministry database lists charges against Zahore of involvement in the activities of an organisation that the Russian prosecutor's office has designated as “undesirable,” as well as failure to comply with legislation on “foreign agents.” The journalist said he was not surprised by the possible start of criminal prosecution and does not intend to change his life because he has been placed on the wanted list.

His colleague Olesia Kryvtsova was sentenced in absentia in Russia in July to six years in a penal colony on charges of “justifying terrorism” and “discrediting” the Russian army. News editor Farida Kurbangaleeva was sentenced in absentia last year to eight years in prison on charges of spreading “false information” about the Russian army and “justifying terrorism.” Journalist Georgy Chentemirov was added to the register of “foreign agents,” faced criminal charges and was fined.

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Editorial work

Barents Observer is a small journalist-owned online outlet published in English and Russian that covers northern Russia and the Euro-Arctic region. Its editorial office operates near the Norwegian-Russian border. According to the outlet, half of its journalists are on Russia's wanted list.

Editor-in-chief Thomas Nilsen reported a sharp increase in pressure in recent months. After the Russian prosecutor's office designated Barents Observer an “undesirable organisation,” communicating with the outlet's journalists became criminally punishable for people in Russia. The editorial team continues to gather information from open sources, speak with people crossing the border, analyse satellite imagery and monitor aviation and maritime radar.

Lawsuit in London

Barents Observer has also faced a lawsuit in the High Court of London from Russian billionaire Vitaly Orlov. It concerns five articles published in 2025–2026 about the fishing company Norebo, of which Orlov is a co-founder and majority owner. The editorial team fears that the court case could lead to the outlet's bankruptcy.