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The Ministry of Justice has, for the first time, added people to the list of those subject to “temporary restrictive measures.” RusNews drew attention to this.
Twelve people living outside Russia have been added to the register:
- entrepreneur and former political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky;
- political scientist Yekaterina Shulman;
- businessman, co-founder and former owner of the mobile phone retail chain “Yevroset” Yevgeny Chichvarkin;
- journalist and blogger Michael Naki;
- politician and civil society activist Leonid Gozman;
- blogger and former lawyer Mark Feygin;
- Alexei Navalny supporter and opposition politician Vladimir Milov;
- entrepreneur, philanthropist and patron Boris Zimin;
- lawyer, founder of the project to support Russian emigrants “Ark” Anastasia Burakova;
- journalist and activist Anastasia Shevchenko;
- municipal council member and politician Elena Kotenochkina;
- president of La Asociación de Rusos Libres in Spain Aleksey Nesterenko.
The register was introduced following legislation passed in the summer targeting people living abroad who, according to the Russian authorities, are evading criminal or administrative penalties. Meduza described the new public register as a kind of list of “enemies of the people,” while the “Word to the Defence” project called it a “register of civil execution.”
Those included face serious restrictions: their money and property may be frozen, they may be banned from deals involving real estate and vehicles, from accessing banking apps for money transfers, from using electronic government services, and from some consular and notarial services. Any income earned in Russia must be paid into a special rouble account.
These restrictions can be applied after a criminal sentence comes into force, regardless of the offence. In addition, people outside Russia who are failing to serve penalties under certain administrative articles—including those concerning “foreign agents,” involvement in the activities of “undesirable” organisations, “discrediting” the army, calls for sanctions, or violation of Russia’s territorial integrity—may also be added to the register.
According to lawyer Mikhail Benyash, as cited by the “Word to the Defence” project, officials introduced the new register because it has become increasingly difficult to find high-profile names to add to the list of “foreign agents.” He believes that people already recognised as “foreign agents” will now also be added to this register, to demonstrate to the leadership that “repression quotas” are being met.