The son of a dairy worker labelled a “foreign agent” has been declared wanted by the authorities.

Alexander Agafonov, the son of Elena Agafonova, a dairy worker designated as a “foreign agent,” has been declared wanted by the authorities. The card in the Interior Ministry database was noticed by Mediazona.

News of the criminal prosecution of Agafonov emerged in December 2024. Details were not reported. The family was told by the Investigative Committee that after Alexander was expelled from the Military Medical Academy, he was sent to serve on a contract basis. However, the young man denies ever signing a contract. The authorities’ notice to the family read: “Agafonov, wishing to take a break from military service, failed to report to his military unit.”

In May, 22-year-old Agafonov was expelled from the Military Medical Academy. According to him, the official reason for expulsion was failing an exam, but the real cause was political pressure. He said: “My expulsion is unlawful. It is based on the fact that my mother is a ‘foreign agent,’ that I support peace, that I am active and held my own beliefs.” After his expulsion, Agafonov submitted a report requesting discharge from military service, but this was denied and he was ordered to report to his unit. To avoid participating in the war in Ukraine, he left Russia. After that, his mother began to receive calls from the unit and threats of a criminal case for desertion.

Elena Agafonova was added to the “foreign agents” registry in May 2023. The Ministry of Justice explained this by saying she had distributed materials by “foreign agents” and “negative information” about Russian state bodies and the army.

• Elena Agafonova is a civil society activist and representative of the public organisation “People’s Council of Tula Region,” and previously worked as a dairy worker. She assisted Alexey Moskalyov, who was facing criminal prosecution for “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces, and his daughter. In May 2023 in Tula, a city south of Moscow, unknown individuals hung a funeral wreath on the door of Agafonova’s home. The perpetrators wrote on the wreath: “Lena, happy birthday!” In June 2023, she was fined 45,000 rubles (US$500) under the law on “discrediting the army” (Article 20.3.3 Part 1, Administrative Code), and in May 2024 she was fined 30,000 rubles (US$330) for filing a complaint with the prosecutor without indicating her status as a “foreign agent” (Article 19.34 Part 4, Administrative Code).