The Ministry of Justice has added to the register of “foreign agents”, including Pavel Chikov and Ilya Varlamov

The Ministry of Justice has again added to the register of “foreign agents”. This is reported on the department's website.

This time it included:

• Lawyer Pavel Chikov;
• Blogger Ilya Varlamov;
• Public figure and founder of the banned party “Volya” Svetlana Lada-Rus (Peunova);
• Political scientist Ruslan Aisin;
• Former Dozhd journalist Bogdan Bakaleyko;
• Association "Guys Plus".

It is noted that Chikova, Aisin, Varlamov and Bakaleyko were included in the register due to the dissemination of “inaccurate information about the decisions made by public authorities and the policies they pursue.”

Also on the website of the Ministry of Justice it is said that Lada-Rus, Aisin and Bakaleiko spoke negatively about the war in Ukraine, Varlamov received foreign funding, and the association “Guys Plus” “promoted” LGBT relationships. In addition, Chikov, Bakaleiko and Guys Plus published materials from other “foreign agents”.

• In December 2022, the law and numerous legislative amendments to “foreign agency” regulation came into force. Among other things, they tighten liability for failure to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice, and also abolish banking, family and commercial secrets. More details in the analysis of OVD-Info .
• In addition, Vladimir Putin signed a law on imprisonment for a term of up to five years for “foreign agents” who were brought to justice twice in a year for violating the procedure for the activities of a “foreign agent” (Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code).
• OVD-Info launched the Inoteka project. We investigate practices of pressure on civil initiatives and protect victims from laws on “foreign agents.”