Moscow Times
Independent Russian-language newspaper, Amsterdam-based since 2022, banned in Russia as foreign agent.
Last refreshed: 17 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does the Moscow Times report from Russia after being banned?
Timeline for Moscow Times
Mentioned in: Rosatom walks 180 staff out of Bushehr
Iran Conflict 2026- Is the Moscow Times independent of the Kremlin?
- Yes. The Moscow Times was founded by a Dutch publisher in 1992 and relocated to Amsterdam in 2022 to preserve editorial independence. Russia banned it as a foreign agent in 2023 and an undesirable organisation in 2024.Source: Wikipedia / Moscow Times
- What did the Moscow Times report about Rosatom and Bushehr?
- The Moscow Times reported that Rosatom evacuated approximately 180 of its 200-plus staff from Bushehr by 16 April, leaving about 20 managers responsible for equipment safety.Source: DB event 2499
- Can the Moscow Times still publish Russian news if it is banned in Russia?
- Yes. The Moscow Times operates from Amsterdam with Russian-language correspondents outside Russia. Its domain inside Russia was seized in December 2025 but it continues publishing internationally.Source: Wikipedia / Moscow Times
Background
The Moscow Times is an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper covering Russia and the post-Soviet space. It reported the Rosatom evacuation of approximately 180 staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant by 16 April — one of the first outlets to confirm the scale of Russia's operational withdrawal.
Founded in Moscow in 1992 by Dutch publisher Derk Sauer, the Moscow Times printed continuously for 25 years before moving digital-only in July 2017. After Russia's 2022 media restrictions it relocated operations to Amsterdam. Russia designated it a "foreign agent" in March 2023 and an "undesirable organisation" in July 2024, with Roskomnadzor seizing its Russian-language domain in December 2025. It now operates entirely outside Russia but maintains a network of Russian-language correspondents covering Kremlin policy and Russian military activity internationally. Ownership is held by Vladimir Jao (51%), Svetlana Korshunova (30%), and Derk Sauer (19%).
The Moscow Times occupies a distinctive role in the media ecosystem on Russian affairs: it is one of the few outlets capable of publishing leaked or corroborated sourcing on Russian state enterprises like Rosatom while being formally banned from operating inside Russia. Its Bushehr reporting drew on Russian-language official and semi-official sources that Kremlin-aligned outlets would not publish. During the Iran conflict, the Moscow Times has become a primary secondary source for developments involving Russian actors — Rosatom contracts, Kremlin statements, and Wagner-adjacent logistics — that state-controlled Russian media will not confirm.
