Former advisor to the governor of the Kursk region, z-blogger Roman Alekhin, who is under investigation for 'money laundering' on military drug purchases, was accused by the Ministry of Justice of spreading false information 'aimed at creating a negative image of the military personnel of the Russian Federation'. Additionally, he was accused of collaborating with 'foreign agents' and 'discrediting' the authorities.
The same accusations were made by the agency against 'Radio Liberty' journalist* Elena Rykovtseva, adding her opposition to the war and interaction with 'undesirable' organizations.
Former coordinator of the Navalny headquarters** in Tyumen Ivan Vostrikov and historian Sergey Erlich, according to the Ministry of Justice, 'discredited' the authorities, interacted with 'foreign agents' and 'undesirable' organizations, and also opposed the war in Ukraine.
The media project 'Avtozak-LIVE', which previously announced its closure, was accused of an anti-war stance, spreading 'false information' about the policies and decisions of the Russian authorities, as well as distributing materials from 'foreign agents' and 'undesirable' organizations.
The unified registry of 'foreign agents', which now has more than a thousand entries, has been maintained since December 1, 2022, and includes individuals, registered and unregistered non-profit and non-governmental organizations. 'Foreign agents' are required to publish texts and messages with a notification that they are produced by a 'foreign agent'. Fines are provided for evading the obligations of a 'foreign agent', and repeated violations of the law result in criminal liability.
The State Duma passed a law prohibiting the placement of advertisements with 'foreign agents', and 'foreign agents' themselves are prohibited from participating in elections, teaching, and engaging in educational activities. 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 status of 'foreign agent' is removed.
* Recognized in Russia as a 'foreign agent' and 'undesirable' organization.
** Recognized in Russia as an 'extremist' organization.