Over 20 journalists from the regional headquarters in Karelia have left the Union of Russian Journalists in protest against the expulsion of their president Georgy Centemirov and pressure from above on their headquarters. Last April, Centemirov was expelled from the Union of Russian Journalists for being included in the lists of "foreign agents". Centemirov expatriated from Russia in October 2022.

Journalists who left the Union of Russian Journalists justified their gesture as solidarity with Centemirov and in favor of press freedom.

Meanwhile, in Belarus, Roman Protasevic, the former editor-in-chief of the opposition channel Nexta, was sentenced to 8 years in prison. The Belarusian journalist was indicted under 11 articles of the Belarusian Penal Code that provide for severe prison sentences for organizing mass unrest, appeals for the application of sanctions against Belarus, for the constitution and leadership of an extremist community.

Protasevic was arrested thanks to the emergency landing of a Ryanair airliner on Belarusian territory after a false bomb alarm on board.