MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Pyotr Verzilov, founder of the Mediazona online media outlet and a member of the Pussy Riot punk band who was recognized as a foreign agent in Russia, has been put on the international wanted list, a TASS correspondent reported from Moscow’s Basmanny district court on Monday.

"Verzilov has breached the travel restrictions imposed on him earlier. According to the data available to the Russian Investigative Committee, he is hiding in Italy and in Vatican City. Bearing this in mind, Verzilov has been put on the international wanted list," the investigator told the court.

According to the investigator, Verzilov is accused of failure to fulfill the obligation of submitting a notification about citizenship of a foreign state (article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). The offense carries a punishment of a fine of up to 200,000 rubles (2,860 US dollars) or up to 400 hours of compulsory community service.

"Although this offense is not punishable by imprisonment, I demand Verzilov’s arrest in absentia due to his blatant violation of the written pledge not to leave and the fact that he has fled Russia," the investigator said.

In May 2022, Verzilov accompanied the wives of fighters of the Azov nationalist battalion (recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia) during a collective audience with the Pope in Vatican City.