The Ministry of Justice added to the register of “foreign agents” the publication VOT SO, blogger and businessman Dmitry Potapenko and Meduza journalist Maxim Trudolyubov. The updated register is published on the department's website.
According to the Ministry, blogger, radio host and entrepreneur Dmitry Potapenko collaborated with other “foreign agents” and “disseminated false information about the decisions taken by public authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies pursued by them.”
The editor of the “Ideas” section on Meduza, Maxim Trudolyubov, according to the department, in addition to collaborating with “foreign agents,” disseminated negative information about the Russian authorities and the army.
The project “THIS IS SO”, which was created by journalists from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, allegedly “disseminated false information about the decisions taken by public authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies they pursue, took part in the creation and dissemination of messages and materials of foreign agents to an unlimited number of people " The publication was also charged with statements against the war in Ukraine.
- The legislation on “foreign agents” is becoming stricter every year. On December 1, 2022, the law “On control over the activities of persons under foreign influence” came into force, as well as numerous legislative amendments to “foreign agency” regulation. You can read about the list of “affiliated persons”, new registers and other innovations in the law on “foreign agents” 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).
- In the fall of 2021, OVD-Info launched the Inoteka project . We explore the practice of applying laws on “foreign agents”, talk about their impact on civil society and specific people, initiate discussions with experts and suggest ways of possible changes. In December 2021, together with the Center for the Protection of Media Rights, we began to provide legal support to people and organizations that were included in the registers of “foreign agents.”