Russian Authorities Label TV Presenter Tatyana Lazareva a ‘Terrorist’ over Statements Supporting Ukrainian Attacks

Tatyana Lazareva, a TV presenter who resides outside of Russia, has been added to the list of “terrorists and extremists” by the Russian authorities. This was announced by the press service of Rosfinmonitoring. The Russian Federation put Lazareva on the wanted list on June 17 for alleged justification of terrorism as per Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code.

The case against Lazareva was opened after a denunciation by Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Alshevskikh, who raised concerns about her statements regarding attacks by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles on Russian territory. Initially, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not find any violations in her words, but after a linguistic examination, they concluded that her statements could be seen as justifying terrorist activities.

A criminal case was opened against Tatyana Lazareva on May 17 following an official response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the deputy. She was subsequently placed on the wanted list in Russia.

These actions have sparked controversy and debate as to whether Lazareva’s statements truly constitute justification for terrorism or if her freedom of speech is being unjustly restricted. The situation has garnered attention both within Russia and internationally, highlighting the complex intersection of politics, media, and speech rights.