The founder of The Insider, Roman Dobrokhotov, has been sentenced in absentia to 5.5 years in prison.

The Cheryomushki District Court in Moscow has sentenced the founder of The Insider, Roman Dobrokhotov, in absentia to five and a half years in a penal colony on charges of organising the activities of an “undesirable” organisation (part 3 of article 284.1 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by “Mediazona.”

In addition, the journalist has been banned for five years from administrating online resources. The prosecutor had requested a six-year sentence in the colony.

The criminal case is linked to Dobrokhotov’s work with The Insider. The charges mention two videos featuring the journalist: in one, he talked about GRU officers, and in the other, he discussed an investigation into the murder of Alexei Navalny. According to the prosecutor’s office, in doing so, Dobrokhotov continued the work of the “undesirable” organisation.

• In July 2022, the Prosecutor General’s Office declared The Insider an “undesirable” organisation. The Ministry of Justice added Dobrokhotov to the register of “foreign agents” in April that same year.
• In 2024, Dobrokhotov was first held administratively liable for participating in the activities of an “undesirable” organisation. Later, another such protocol was drawn up against him. In July 2026, the journalist was added to the Interior Ministry’s wanted persons database.
• Dobrokhotov is also under arrest in absentia in a case concerning illegal crossing of the Russian border (part 1 of article 322 of the Criminal Code). Investigators claim that in August 2021, he crossed the border with Ukraine in Voronezh region, south of Moscow, bypassing a border checkpoint. The journalist has denied this.