Mariana Belenkaya

Mariana Belenkaya, a Russian journalist, columnist, and online commentator specializing in Middle East affairs, left Russia for Israel in April 2022 following the outbreak of war. In March 2024, she was designated a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities over allegations of spreading false information and participating in foreign media platforms. In April 2025, she was fined 45,000 rubles in absentia for failing to comply with foreign agent requirements. She previously worked at Kommersant and TASS and runs the “Falafelnaya” Telegram channel.