Russians investigate journalist Ilya Ber over fact-check on Ukraine deaths

The Russian press reported Thursday, May 5, that the Ministry of Internal Affairs department in Moscow's Preobrazhenskoye district had begun an investigation into journalist Ilya Ber, the chief editor of the fact-checking website Provereno.

According to the reports, the investigation stems from a Facebook post Ber made on April 27 to his personal account, where he has about 4,200 followers and posts news commentary and fact-checks from Provereno, in which he responded to commentaries made by pro-Russian Telegram accounts regarding the death of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha.

In an interview with the Lithuanian news website Delfi, where he also contributes fact-checks, Ber described the investigation as "a bit predictable" and said he was not "particularly interested" in its outcome.

A fact-checking news website, Provereno, launched in 2020 has repeatedly published articles debunking pro-Russian coverage of the war in Ukraine.

“We as a project are not politicized, we are unbiased and we write the truth. If the truth does not suit the Russian authorities or the police, that is not my problem,” Ber told Delfi.

The Russian authorities have initiated multiple criminal proceedings against journalists accused of circulating "fakes" about the Russian military, as documented by CPJ.

The investigative reporter Ilya Azar, who works for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, announced on his Telegram channel that he has been charged with "discrediting the Russian army" and faces a fine of up to 100,000 rubles (US$1,473).