Russia on Friday added a former speechwriter of President Vladimir Putin to its list of foreign agents, along with one of the country’s most popular singers and an opposition politician who has fled abroad.
Russian law requires organizations and individuals receiving foreign funding to identify themselves as “foreign agents”, potentially undermining their credibility.
The Russian Ministry of Justice said that Abbas Gallyamov “distributed material made by foreign agents to an unlimited circle of people, spoke out against the special military operation in Ukraine (and) participated as an expert and responder in information platforms provided by foreign structures”.
Abbas Gallyamov, who wrote speeches for Putin during his stint as prime minister from 2008-2012, recently attracted attention with an appearance on CNN suggesting that Putin could face a military coup.
The ministry said it also listed Russian rock star Zemfira Ramazanova, who uses only her first name as a performer, accused of “open support for Ukraine” and of criticizing “the special military operation” led by Moscow in Ukraine and for receiving unspecified foreign funds.
Dmitry Gudkov, a well-known opposition politician before fleeing Russia in 2021, was also designated a foreign agent, according to the Justice Ministry, for “asking for the supply of arms to Ukraine” and “the introduction of restrictive measures against Russia”. the ministry said.
Both left Russia.
The label “foreign agent”, reminiscent of the Soviet-era “enemy of the people”, is used by Russian authorities to suppress critical voices.
This classification requires painful administrative processes and identification as such in any publication, including on social networks, under penalty of a fine.
The law on “foreign agents” has been tightened in 2022, adding new bans.
Source: DN
