BBC protests “foreign agent” designation of two of its journalists

1 February 2025

The BBC has said that it strongly rejects the decision by the Russian authorities to designate Ilya Abishev and Elizaveta Fokht as “foreign agents”. BBC News Russian journalists have been singled out, following earlier designations of Ilya Barabanov, Anastasia Lotareva, Andrey Kozenko, and Olga Ivshina.

BBC News Global Director and BBC Deputy CEO, Jonathan Munro, says: “It has now become a routine exercise for the Russian authorities to add BBC News Russian journalists to their list of ‘foreign agents’. The BBC wholly condemns this ongoing attempt to intimidate and silence our journalists. Aimed at having a disruptive and damaging effect, these arbitrary designations can’t stop our journalists doing their jobs. Journalism is not a crime, and our reporters will continue serving our Russian-speaking audiences just as they have done for almost 80 years: independently, fairly, and fearlessly. We are proud of all our journalists. We will challenge these actions by the Russian authorities in the courts. These journalists have our total support.”

Part of BBC World Service, BBC News Russian is a key provider of impartial and independent news to the Russian-speaking world, reaching its audiences across a range of digital platforms.