Head of Sputnik Meedia Slams Claims Against Her as Estonian Court Bans Journo From Leaving Country

Previously, Estonian prosecutors demanded the arrest of the journalist, claiming that she had breached international sanctions.

The head of Sputnik Meedia, Elena Cherysheva, stated on Monday that she was banned by a court from leaving Estonia, slamming all the accusations against her as absurd.

"After a 16-hour search, they took me to a detention centre. They took me for interrogation, then there was a hearing, the prosecutor demanded two months' arrest. The next day, the judge issued a ruling - a ban on leaving the country, and prohibiting [me] from leaving the house for more than three days", Cherysheva said.

She noted that a case against her was launched last year, stating that the claims were nonsense.

The Estonian authorities alleged that Cherysheva and her colleague Mati-Dmitry Terestala were violating international sanctions by maintaining the work of Sputnik Meedia, which was targeted by sanctions on 1 March 2022. They also claimed that the journalists made up to 350,000 euros accessible to a sanctioned person.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has already lambasted those accusations, saying that it is part of a "state-imposed terror" campaign against Russian journalists in Estonia.

Cherysheva noted that the website is closing due to pressure from Estonian banks and authorities. She said that banks have been regularly freezing accounts belonging to Sputnik Meedia, while employees have been on the receiving end of multiple threats.

Sputnik Meedia was created by former employees of Sputnik Estonia, which, after four years of operation, was closed two years ago due to threats by the Estonian police.