Russia Seeks Interpol Red Notice for Ukrainian Journalist Over Beet Juice Protest

Moscow has sought an Interpol red notice for Ukrainian journalist Irina Zemlyana, according to Yaroslav Yurtschyshyn, a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Yurtschyshyn characterized the move as a direct attempt to leverage the international law enforcement organization to pressure Ukrainian journalists and activists.

The request stems from an incident in May 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, where activists protesting Russian aggression doused Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreev with beetroot juice. Russian state media and law enforcement immediately labeled the act an “attack on a diplomat.”

A Moscow court, without access to Zemlyana, subsequently issued a 13-year sentence in absentia. The court similarly accused Zemlyana of disseminating what it termed “false information” about the Russian military, according to Yurtschyshyn.

Zemlyana maintains the case is entirely fabricated and devoid of legal merit. She asserts that video and photographic evidence confirms her innocence, and Polish law enforcement has not filed any charges against her. She states that the available visual materials demonstrate the protest was peaceful and posed no threat to the diplomat’s safety.

Yurtschyshyn reports that Ukraine is actively working to prevent Russia from securing the Interpol red notice, viewing the request as part of a broader campaign to persecute individuals critical of the Kremlin. The National Police of Ukraine, the country’s representative to Interpol, has prioritized the case.

Ukraine is expected to argue against the red notice request citing Article 3 of the Interpol Constitution, which prohibits the organization from intervening in matters of a political, military, religious, or racial character. Yurtschyshyn confirmed that Ukrainian law enforcement is preparing to counter any attempts by Russia to utilize international arrest warrants against the journalist.