Russian independent journalists have faced increased government pressure ahead of the country's parliamentary election this Sunday. In some cases that has meant Russian police raiding their homes and seizing cellphones, laptops and tablets. This is widely seen as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to cement his rule before the 2024 presidential election.
In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast Committee member Irv Chapman talks with Michael Smeltzer, a Russian analyst at Freedom House, about the state of press freedom in Russia. They discuss how Putin quickly gained control of the broadcast media within a few years after becoming president and what the impact has been of the Russian government designating some news organizations and journalists as "foreign agents" leading up to this month's election.