The war in Ukraine: the latest information

A court in Kazan, Russia, on Friday extended the pretrial detention of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was arrested in Russia on October 18, for another two months.

His detention will now last until February 5, 2024, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the American media outlet where Alsu Kurmasheva works. The journalist has been charged with violations linked to his entry in the registry “Foreign Agents”, While she was engaged “Intentional collection of information relating to military operations” Harmful “Defense of the Russian Federation”, according to Russian justice. She gets five years in prison.

Alsu Kurmasheva, who joined RFE/RL in 1998, works for her service on the Tatar and Bashkir languages, particularly covering these ethnic minorities in Russia who live in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, the Volga and Ural regions.

Journalist living in Prague with her husband and children, A. to Russia “Family Emergency” on May 20, but was unable to leave because his American and Russian passports were confiscated.

According to the website Tatar information, was fined on October 11 for failing to declare his US citizenship to Russian authorities. According to this media outlet, citing anonymous police sources, he specifically worked on the mobilization of teachers by the Russian military for attacks in Ukraine.

Alsu Kurmasheva is the second American journalist to be detained in Russia, with journalist Ivan Kershkovich still in prison, arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 for spying during a report in Yekaterinburg.