The pair face a minimum of two years in prison if convicted of alleged “participation in an extremist organisation”.

Two Russian journalists have been arrested on “extremism” charges and ordered by courts to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin are accused of producing content for Navalny’s prominent YouTube channel, “NavalnyLIVE,” which publishes videos investigating corruption in the Kremlin that have amassed millions of views.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic for years, died in February in an Arctic penal colony where he had been imprisoned. Russian authorities in 2021 designated organisations linked to him as “extremist” – meaning those who support them risk prison. Members of Navalny’s team have previously been imprisoned and many live in exile.

Gabov and Karelin both denied the charges for which they will be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years imprisonment and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organisation”.

The pair are the latest journalists to face charges amid heightened repression in Russia, which has seen freedom of the press severely limited.

Gabov, a freelance producer who has worked for multiple outlets including the Reuters news agency, was allegedly involved in the “preparation of photo and video materials” for the YouTube channel, the court press service said. He was arrested in Moscow on Saturday and will remain in detention until June 27.

Karelin, a 41-year-old Russian and Israeli citizen accused of “participation in an extremist organisation”, was detained on Friday night in Russia’s northern Murmansk region. He has worked for several outlets, including the Associated Press and German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), until DW was banned in Russia in February 2022.

“The Associated Press is very concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergei Karelin,” the US press agency said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”

Sergei Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, was also placed under house arrest on Saturday after he was detained for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army, state media RIA Novosti reported.

In 2022, Russia passed a law imposing a jail term of up to 15 years for what it deems false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative.

Russia’s crackdown on dissent is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ community, and Russians critical of the Kremlin.

Last October, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been held for over a year on espionage charges. A Moscow court on Tuesday denied the US citizen’s appeal against the extension of his pre-trial detention.

Both Kurmasheva and Gershkovich deny the charges against them.