Freedom of the Press 2007: Russia

Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser and Igor Sergunin received prison sentences ranging from 3.5 to 5.5 years in retaliation for providing legal services to the late, jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.

In recent weeks, laws on “foreign agents”, “fake news” and “discrediting” the Russian army were made substantially harsher.

Of the 268 attacks on freedom of expression recorded by IMI, 155 were committed by Russian forces, and included killings, woundings, kidnapping, cyberattacks and threats.