Two Russian journalists are arrested for suspected work for the Alexei Navalny foundation, risking up to six years in prison.

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karel both denied the charges they would be held in detention for at least two months before a trial begins. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for “participation in an extremist body”, according to Russian courts.

Both are only the latest journalists arrested amid a Russian government crackdown on the instability and independent media that intensified following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The Russian government passed laws that criminalise what it considers false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the army, effectively excluding any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official account.

A reporter with the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, was arrested on charges of spreading false information to the Russian Army, his lawyer said Friday.

Gabov and Karel are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by the Navajo Foundation for Combating Corruption, which has been declared illegal by Russian authorities. Navajo died in a Arctic criminal colony in February.

Gabov, who was arrested in Moscow, is an independent producer who has worked for numerous organisations including Reuters, says the tribunal's press service.

Karel, who has dual citizenship with Israel, was arrested Friday evening in Russia's northern region of Murmansk.

Karel, 41, has worked for a number of media, including the Associated Press. He was German media cameraman Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned this media from functioning in Russia in February 2022.

“Associated Press is very concerned by Russian journalist Sergey Karel”'s ban on video, the news agency said in a statement. “We are requesting additional information. ”

Russia's crackdown on instability aims at opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ+ community and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin. A number of journalists have been detained in connection with the Navalny coverage, including Antonina Pravorskaya, who remains in custody until at least May 28th after a hearing session last month.

The favouriteskaya was arrested and charged by Russian authorities with participating in a <x0 sub-organization” by posting on the Navajo Foundation's social media platforms. She covered the Navajo court hearings for years and filmed the latest Navajo video before dying in the criminal colony.

Kira Yarmych, Navalny's spokeswoman, said the Favorskaya did not publish anything on the foundation platforms and suggested Russian authorities had targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.

Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is awaiting trial for spying charges at Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison. Both Gershkovich and his employer have strongly denied the charges.

Gershkovich was arrested in March last year while on a reporting trip and spent more than a year in prison. Authorities have no detailed details of what, if available, evidence they have to support spying charges.

The US government has wrongly declared Gershkovich arrested, with officials accusing Moscow of using the journalist as hostage for political purposes.

The Russian government has also hit opposition figures. A prominent activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was sentenced to 25 years.