About the case: The Sverdlovsk Regional Public Foundation for Social Projects “Novoye Vremya” (New Time) is being held liable under Part 2 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation for failing to submit one of the foreign agent reporting forms.
The case is being heard by the Ordzhonikidzevsky district court of Yekaterinburg, with Judge Oksana Nikolaevna Koryakina presiding.
The hearing is attended by the official who drew up the administrative offense report, Nikita Alekseevich Maslennikov, a leading specialist-expert of the Non-Profit Organizations Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for the Sverdlovsk Region (his identity was established later via social media), and by the legal representative (director) of the “Novoye Vremya” (New Time) Foundation, Olga Pavlovna Gasan.
The court announces the case and the composition of the court, asks whether there are any challenges (there are none), and explains the director’s rights to her.
Gasan moves for defense counsel Elena Valentinovna Makey to be admitted to the proceedings. The court grants the motion and explains the defense counsel’s rights to her.
The court reads out the content of the administrative offense report: the offense consists of failing to submit Form No. 7 of the foreign agent reporting for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The foundation’s representative, Gasan, and defense counsel Makey do not admit guilt. They explain that this reporting form is used to notify changes in information about the legal entity; since there were no such changes, the form was not submitted.
The representative and defense counsel ask the Ministry of Justice representative how Form No. 7 should be submitted if there have been no changes. The official replies that in that case the form is submitted with all figures set to “0.”
The defense counsel again points out that there was no information to fill in on the form. The official again explains that Form No. 7 must be submitted with blank fields (citing the position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation).
The judge asks the official who initiated the case. The official explains that the territorial office received instructions from the central office of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. (A foreign agent’s failure to submit information is identified by the central office and then reported to the territorial office, which draws up the offense report and sends it to court.)
The foundation’s representative moves to add further evidence to the case file: documents confirming the timely submission of reports and a bank account statement. There are no objections; the motion is granted.
The court examines the evidence submitted.
After retiring to the deliberation room, the court announces its decision: the Novoye Vremya Foundation is found guilty of an administrative offense under Part 2 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and is fined 300,000 rubles.
