In a continued crackdown on dissent in Russia, the authorities have declared several individuals, including a former presidential hopeful and a prisoner rights advocate, to be “foreign agents.” The designation, introduced in 2012 following mass antigovernment protests, carries additional government scrutiny and aims to discredit those named. Among those targeted are Yekaterina Duntsova, a former regional legislator who sought to run against President Vladimir Putin in 2024 but was ultimately barred, as well as prisoner rights advocate Maria Litvinovich and the Way Home movement, which campaigns for bringing Russian soldiers back from Ukraine.
The escalation of repression in Russia has been fueled by the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, effectively criminalizing any criticism of the war. Duntsova and Litvinovich have both been vocal in their anti-war stance, with Andreyeva and the Way Home movement staging protests in Moscow demanding the discharge of reservists called up in the “partial mobilization” in 2022. The Kremlin’s crackdown has also targeted news media and individual Kremlin critics, intensifying pressure on dissenting voices in the country.
The move to label individuals as “foreign agents” represents a broader effort to stifle opposition and silence critics of the Russian government. As the repression continues to escalate, human rights advocates and opposition figures find themselves increasingly under scrutiny, facing increased government pressure and potential consequences for speaking out against the regime.
Source
Photo credit apnews.com