TODAY IN SHORT: Russia‘s ”foreign agent” law stifles critical reporting

<p>United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin, claimed victory in Russia’s parliamentary elections this week – while the opposition maintains the results were based on fraud. Concerns about fairness were rampant already in the lead-up to the vote, with opposition politicians largely barred from running and, crucially, heavy restrictions on independent news media. In particular, Russia’s so-called “foreign agent” law has made it significantly more difficult for independent Russian media to operate.</p> <p>IPI contributor Anne ter Rele interviews Galina Timchenko, the Editor-in-Chief of Meduza, a critical Russian-language news outlet labelled as a foreign agent earlier this year. What are the consequences of this law? And most importantly, how can Meduza still do its job?</p>