Russian law enforcement authorities issued an arrest warrant for Tikhon Dzyadko, the editor-in-chief of the exiled broadcaster TV Rain, the news website Mediazona reported Wednesday.A wanted notice for Dzyadko appeared in the Russian Interior Ministrys database after a Moscow court in Februarypressed administrative charges against him and three other journalists for having ties to an undesirable organization.TV Rain, where Dzyadko has served as chief editor since 2019, wasdesignated as undesirable in Russia in 2023.The undesirable designation bans TV Rains work inside Russia, puts staff members at risk of jail time and criminalizes engagement with the broadcaster, including sharing its content online.Soon after invading Ukraine in early 2022, Russian authoritiesordered TV Rain to suspend operations.
The independent network relocated to Riga, Latvia, and then later to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.Russias Justice Ministry also labeled Dzyadko a foreign agent in October 2022.A Moscow court fined Dzyadko in July 2023 for failing to carry out foreign agent obligations, which include submitting rigorous financial reports and displaying foreign agent disclaimers in publications and social media posts.