4 Russian journalists accused of working for a Navalny group go on trial in Moscow

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Four Russian journalists went on trial in Moscow on Wednesday after being accused of working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, which was designated by authorities as an extremist organization in 2021.

Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Sergey Karelin and Konstantin Gabov were arrested earlier this year and charged with involvement with an extremist group, a criminal offense punishable by up to six years in prison. All four have rejected the charges.

The trial, which is being held behind closed doors, is the latest step in the Kremlin's unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached unprecedented levels after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, rights activists and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin with criminal and misdemeanor charges, jailing hundreds and prompting thousands to leave the country, fearing prosecution.

The four journalists were accused of working with Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was designated as extremist and outlawed by the Russian authorities in 2021. That designation has been widely seen as politically motivated.

Navalny was President Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most prominent foe and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia. In February, Navalny died in a remote Arctic prison while serving a 19-year sentence on a number of charges, including running an extremist group, which he had rejected as politically driven.

Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision, an independent Russian news outlet that covers protests and political trials. Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organizations, including Reuters. Karelin is a freelance video journalist, he has done work for Western media outlets, including The Associated Press.

As they were led into the courtroom on Wednesday, a crowd of supporters greeted them with applause. In the courtroom, the four smiled at their loved ones from a glass defendant's cage.

Addressing reporters from behind the glass, Kriger cast the case against him and his fellow journalists as a cautionary tale and urged journalists still in Russia to leave the country: “It is not a joke, any person can be charged with anything."

Favorskaya, in turn, spoke about hope: “Everything that is happening now, the darkness that surrounds us, it is not forever, and we will definitely see the country that Alexei (Navalny) dreamed of, we will definitely live in a country where rights and freedoms will be (respected) and journalists and other people will not be jailed for their views."

Shortly after the hearing began, the judge ordered to hold the proceedings behind closed doors upon a request from the prosecution, even though the defense objected to it.

There was more applause and cheering for the four defendants two hours later, as they were escorted out of the courtroom, even as the bailiff ordered those waiting for the defendants in the hallway to stay silent.

“My life right now revolves around Seryozha (Karelin) and sorting out his life (behind bars),” Karelin's sister, Olga Karelina, told the AP in court on Wednesday. She is sending him care packages, sorting out paperwork, exchanging letters with him and helping others send him letters, she said. Karelin, who was arrested in April and initially “petrified,” is now feeling much better, according to his sister: “He developed a healthy anger, which is good.”

Letters of support make a difference, Gabov's lawyer Irina Biryukova told AP earlier this week, adding that her client "is getting a lot of letters from people he filmed once for his stories.” They tell him they remember him filming them and are stunned by what happened to him, Biryukova said. He is really grateful for all the support he is getting, she said.

SotaVision founder Alexandra Ageyeva views the case as a continuation of the unabating pressure on the outlet, which was last year designated by the authorities as a “foreign agent” — a label that brings about additional government scrutiny and aims at discrediting the recipient. In an interview with the AP, she said that her journalists are regularly detained while working in the field, and recalled instances when Kriger, who actively covered various protests, and Favorskaya, who in the months leading up to her arrest focused Navalny's multiple court cases and lawsuits, were being followed.

So when it comes to the trial, “we expect the worst,” she said. “And we expect a further crackdown on our news outlet. Of course, we're not violating any laws, we're working completely openly. But, apparently, independent journalism is too dangerous for the current regime,” Ageyeva said.

Olga Karelina, the sister of Sergey Karelin, a freelance video journalist accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, speaks at the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stands in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalist Sergey Karelin accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stands in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stands in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalist Artyom Kriger accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stands in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalist Konstantin Gabov accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stands in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalists Antonina Favorskaya, left, Artyom Kriger, centre, and Sergey Karelin, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stand in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalists Konstantin Gabov, left, and Antonina Favorskaya, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stand in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalists Konstantin Gabov, left, and Antonina Favorskaya, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stand in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalists, from left: Konstantin Gabov, Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger and Sergey Karelin, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stand in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

Russian journalists, from left, Konstantin Gabov, Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger and Sergey Karelin, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, stand in a defendant's cage of the Nagatinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday, and Treasury yields are rising following an encouraging update on the job market's strength.

The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged in afternoon trading, a day after sliding from its record on worries about a possible widening of the fighting in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 12:50 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.1%.

Oil prices rose again as the world waits to see how Israel will respond to Tuesday's missile attack from Iran, but they pared their gains as the morning progressed. After briefly topping $76 earlier, the price for a barrel of Brent crude was sitting at $73.91, up 0.5% from the day before.

While Israel is not a major producer of oil, Iran is, and a worry is that a broadening war could affect other neighboring countries that are also integral to the flow of crude.

In the bond market, Treasury yields rose after a report indicated hiring by U.S. employers outside the government may have been stronger last month than expected.

The report from ADP Research said private-sector employers accelerated their hiring to a pace of 143,000 in September. That could be an encouraging signal for the more comprehensive report on the U.S. job market that’s arriving on Friday from the U.S. government.

The dominant question hanging over Wall Street has been whether the job market will continue to hold up after the Federal Reserve earlier kept interest rates at a two-decade high in hopes of braking on the economy enough to stamp out high inflation.

Stocks are near their records in large part on the belief that the U.S. economy will indeed continue to grow, now that the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates to give it more juice. The Fed last month lowered its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years and indicated more cuts will arrive through next year.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.79% from 3.73% late Tuesday. The two-year yield, which more closely follows expectations for what the Fed will do with overnight interest rates, rose to 3.64% from 3.61%.

Traders are shifting their expectations for the Fed’s next move on rates toward a traditional-sized cut of a quarter of a percentage point, according to data from CME Group. Last week, more traders were betting on a larger cut of half a percentage point.

On Wall Street, Caesars Entertainment jumped 7% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500. The casino owner said it approved a new program to deliver up to $500 million to shareholders by buying back more of its stock.

Ciena climbed 6.6% after the networking company announced its own program to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock.

Exxon Mobil rose 0.7% as crude prices continued to rise, bringing its gain for the week to 4.3%.

They helped offset a 14.5% tumble for Humana after the insurer warned a drop in its quality ratings for Medicare Advantage could mean a hit to its revenue in 2026. Humana said it believes there may be errors in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ calculations, and it is trying to challenge the ratings.

Nike sank 5.8% even though the athletic giant reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its revenue fell short of forecasts, and the slump shows how much work incoming CEO Elliott Hill has in making the brand cool among customers. Nike also pulled its forecast for full-year financial results and postponed its investors day conference.

Conagra Brands fell 7.9% after the company behind Duncan Hines and Reddi-wip reported weaker profit than analysts expected. It said temporary manufacturing disruptions at its Hebrew National business during prime grilling season hurt its results.

Tesla sank 4.1% despite reporting an increase in its deliveries of electric vehicles during the latest quarter, the first time that’s happened this year. The number topped analysts’ forecasts, but investors may have been expecting an even bigger increase.

In stock markets abroad, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng roared 6.2% higher, riding a wave of investor enthusiasm over recent announcements from Beijing to rev up the Chinese economy. With Shanghai and other markets in China closed for a holiday, trading crowded into Hong Kong.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 2.2% to continue its sharp swings, while indexes in Europe were mixed.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

FILE - Signs marking the intersection of Broad and Walls Streets appear near the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

The New York Stock Exchange, right, is shown on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

A person walks in front of the Tokyo Stock Exchange building Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of the Tokyo Stock Exchange building Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People watch an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)