‘Unwanted’ media journalist fined for letter to drone manufacturer

The Kalininsky District Court in St. Petersburg fined the journalist of “Important Stories” Maria Zholobova in the amount of 5,000 zlotys. servicing the municipal courts, said Mediazone.

The reason was the journalist’s request to the Special Technological Center (STC) – an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex, which, among other things, is engaged in the production of drones. Posing as the correspondent of the publication “Important Stories”, Zholobova clarified in the center information about the “products manufactured by the enterprise” and the execution of the state defense order, thereby violating the law on “undesirable” organizations, the court decision states.

This is the first known case of persecution of a journalist for work in the media that received such status. Previously, protocols were drawn up only because of references to materials from “undesirable” publications. One of these cases became known on May 26: it was brought against Valery Nechay, former editor-in-chief of Ekho Peterburg, for republishing Meduza’s article.

The “Special Technology Center” has been sanctioned by the US, UK, EU and Canada since 2016. Despite this, the company continues to produce Orlan-10 drones and other weapons used in the war with Ukraine.

In December, “Important Stories”, Reuters and the British Defense Research Institute (RUSI) learned that STC receives Western components through intermediaries. in Russia, USA and China.

In January 2023, Maria Zholobova told how Rostec went through network of intermediaries purchased from the West components for electronic warfare systems that are destroying Ukrainian defenses. Basically, it was about products from American Analog Devices, Xilinx, Texas Instruments.

Some time after the publication of the supplier of these components: “Test Kit”, SMT-Ailogic, Asia-Pacific links came under US sanctions.