Journalist Sergey Auslender, author of channels on YouTube and Telegram with an audience of more than half a million people, according to the Ministry of Justice, spreads 'inaccurate information' about the Russian authorities and creates a 'negative image' of the Russian army. His inclusion in the registry was also ensured by interactions with other 'foreign agents' and cooperation with foreign media.
The agency has similar claims against the journalist of the Belgorod anti-war publication 'Pepel', except for interactions with foreign media. Additionally, he was separately charged with speaking out against the war in Ukraine. The same claims were made against blogger Alexey Kungurov, who was sentenced for 'justifying terrorism' back in 2016.
Former advisor to the Russian Federation's representation at the UN in Geneva, Boris Bondarev, who spoke out against the war in Ukraine, also, according to the Ministry of Justice, spreads 'inaccurate information' about the Russian authorities and their armed forces. He was also charged with cooperating with 'undesirable' organizations.
Former director of the Yuri Levada Analytical Center* sociologist Lev Gudkov, in addition to spreading 'inaccurate information' and anti-war speeches, is an employee of an organization- 'foreign agent', which guaranteed his inclusion in the Ministry of Justice's registry.
The unified registry of 'foreign agents' has been maintained since December 1, 2022, and currently contains more than 900 entries. 'Foreign agents' are required to publish texts and messages with a notification that they are produced by a 'foreign agent'. Fines are imposed for evading the duties of a 'foreign agent', and repeated violations of the law result in criminal liability. By the end of 2024, 170 people received two fines under the administrative article on violating the order of activities of a 'foreign agent'.
The State Duma passed a law prohibiting the placement of advertisements with 'foreign agents', and 'foreign agents' themselves were banned from participating in elections. Also, all income of 'foreign agents' in Russia, including the sale and rental of real estate, will be deposited into a special ruble account, which can only be accessed after the 'foreign agent' status is removed.
* Recognized as a 'foreign agent' in Russia.