Foreign individuals Andrei Pivovarov and Rustam Solntsev have been added to the list of foreign agents.
Fresh Take:
Russian Government Adds More Opposition Figures, Activists, and Journalists to Foreign Agents Registry
The Ministry of Justice in Russia has expanded its foreign agents registry, adding several individuals, including opposition politician Rustam Solntsev, lawyers Natalia Sekretareva and Violetta Fitzner, and human rights activist Oleg Kozlovsky, among others. These new additions join the ranks of Elena Zhemkova, Memorial lawyer Denis Shedev, and Chechen public figure Ruslan Kutaev, who were already on the registry.
According to the Ministry, these individuals have been spreading disinformation about decisions and policies of Russian Federation public authorities, either directly or indirectly, via their activism, journalism, or by participating in the creation of materials for foreign agents and organizations deemed undesirable in Russia. Notably, Zhemkova and Kozlovsky were also involved in creating materials for such entities.
Remarkably, most of the individuals listed reside outside of Russia, reflecting the far-reaching nature of the allegations against them.
In recent months, the registry has seen a significant increase, surpassing the 1000-mark with the addition of demographer Alexei Raksha. Previous additions in the last week include photographer Yevgeny Feldman, writer and film critic Alexei Eksler, journalist Grigory Ohotin, and human rights activist Alexander Cherkasov.
Enrichment Insights:
- The Russian Foreign Agent Law: A broad criteria is used to label anyone receiving foreign support or deemed to be under foreign influence as a foreign agent. This law has been used as a tool to suppress political dissent and independent civil society activity.
- Recent Amendments: The law has been expanded to include those considered to be influenced by foreign actors, as well as their relatives and colleagues. The law allows for even broader targeting, including individuals not directly receiving foreign support.
- Purpose of Listing: The individuals added to the registry are likely targeted due to their activism, journalism, or association with organizations or causes that the Russian authorities regard as being under foreign influence or as sources of political dissent. They are likely to be journalists, public activists, or affiliated with NGOs or opposition movements.
In essence, the Russian government continues to employ the foreign agents registry as a means to silence opposition, independent voices, and civil society actors—a practice that has grown increasingly broad under the weight of recent amendments.
- The ongoing addition of opposition figures, activists, and journalists to Russia's foreign agents registry indicates a widening scope of political censorship, as evidenced by the recent inclusion of individuals in war-and-conflicts reporting, crime-and-justice coverage, general-news, and politics.
- The expanding foreign agents registry in Russia, now exceeding 1000 individuals, underscores the government's focus on delicate topics such as war-and-conflicts, politics, crime-and-justice, and general-news, potentially suppressing alternative viewpoints and fostering self-censorship among journalists and activists.
