The Ministry of Justice recognized the “ino -agents” of Smolyaninov and Shelest

The Ministry of Justice of Russia updated the Unified Register of Foreign Agents. The list included a music critic, journalist Artemy Troitsky, actor Arthur Smolyaninov, former priest Sergei Kirsanov, lawyer Anatoly Fursov, ex-head of the Perm headquarters of Navalny Segei Ukhov, journalist Alexander Shelest, and a limited liability company "Tenes".

Earlier, the head of the UK, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed to initiate a criminal case against Smolyaninov, who publicly opposed the war in Ukraine. The actor gave an interview to the publication "New Gazeta Europe", in which he said that "emotionally ready" to go to fight on the Ukrainian side. Smolyaninov also stated that he did not give a damn what form Russia will remain "after the war in Ukraine.

Additions

• The legislation on "foreign agents" in Russia appeared in 2012. The law allowed the Ministry of Justice to recognize non-profit organizations by “foreign agents” if they receive financing from abroad and are engaged in “political activities”. The criteria for which such activities are determined are not clearly defined in the law, which allows the authorities to persecute organizations working in the field of education, culture, healthcare, ecology, and human rights protection.
• According to the "Virstki", 18% of all "foreign agents" in Russia instituted criminal cases. The most popular article for persecution is about the spread of fakes, that is, obviously false information, about the actions of the Russian army. The Russian authorities consider any statements that are different from the official statements of the Ministry of Defense.
• From December 1, 2022, anyone who is under "foreign influence" will be able to declare the ino -agent.