The Ministry of Education and Science has banned students at Russian…

28.08.2025

16:26

Temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea

A protocol has been drawn up against human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva from occupied Crimea, accusing her of carrying out the activities of a “foreign agent” without being included in the “foreign agent” register (Part 1, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code), reports Crimean Solidarity.

The protocol was issued by the Russian Ministry of Justice’s local office. The document lists Zudiyeva’s personal social media accounts as “political activity,” along with her sharing of OVD-Info materials on those accounts, articles and a podcast for the outlet Graty about women’s lives in Crimea, a publication in the US magazine Newsweek, an interview for CNN, and her membership in the Irish human rights organisation Front Line Defenders.

Zudiyeva was designated a “foreign agent” in May.

In February 2024, security forces conducted a “premises inspection” at her home, after which two protocols were drawn up against her for “abuse of freedom of mass information” (Article 13.15 of the Administrative Code). The first protocol was issued because of a Facebook post about the “Hizb ut-Tahrir” party that did not state it is designated as a terrorist organisation in Russia; the second was for a post about Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (“Radio Svoboda”) without noting it is a “foreign agent” media outlet. She was fined two and two-and-a-half thousand rubles (about US$22 and US$28), one of which was later overturned on appeal.

22.08.2025

14:30

Sverdlovsk Oblast

The Krasnaya Stroka Book Festival in Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, has removed St Petersburg’s Ivan Limbakh Publishing House from its programme. This was reported by It’s My City.

According to journalists, the publisher’s books were excluded after accreditation, agreements and the shipment of copies to the festival had already taken place.

The festival’s director, Evgeny Gorenburg, stated:

“Ivan Limbakh Publishing House was not admitted. We are really hoping for authors’ self-censorship. It’s a pity they don’t understand this.”

Meanwhile, the publisher’s CEO, Alexandra Trofimova, pointed out that she had not received any official explanation from the festival organisers.

“We were simply informed that there was an order from above. No reason was given. This happened at the last...

08.08.2025

13:31

Moscow

On 7 July, the Chertanovsky District Court in Moscow received eight protocols for alleged violations of 'foreign agent' legislation against Arkady Lyubarev, a co-founder of the now-dissolved 'Golos', and Honest Elections LLC—a legal entity created by the organisation’s staff after it was designated a 'foreign agent'. OVD-Info discovered this on the court’s website.

Four protocols were drawn up against Lyubarev and four against 'Honest Elections', all under articles related to failure to provide information to the Ministry of Justice (part 2, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

Arkady Lyubarev was added to the 'foreign agent' register in September 2021. However, in April 2022, the Ministry of Justice removed him from the list. This was the first such decision in Russia....

31.07.2025

13:23

Russia,

Other

The Ministry of Education and Science has banned students at Russian universities from keeping books by “foreign agent” writers Boris Akunin and Dmitry Bykov in their dormitories. A photo of an information letter addressed to university heads was published by Akunin himself and noted by the outlet Groza. The document was signed by the acting director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities, Denis Savenkov.

The reasons why students are not allowed to keep Akunin’s and Bykov’s books are not explained in the letter. The Ministry only stated that universities should inform students of the ban “in order to create safe conditions for learning and living in dormitories.”

Denis Savenkov also asked university and admissions staff to “conduct awareness-raising work” to...

30.07.2025

12:17

Saint Petersburg

St Petersburg activist and journalist for the publication “Parni+” Vadim Vaganov said on 29 July that a stone with the word “foreign agent” written on it was thrown through the window of his flat.

“The situation is serious. Today I was called and told that a stone with the word ‘foreign agent’ was thrown through the window of my flat. The windows are broken,” Vaganov writes.

That same day, he learned that his mother had taken ill and was taken to hospital as a result.

On 22 November 2024, the Ministry of Justice added Vaganov to the list of “foreign agents.” For several years, the activist headed “Youth Yabloko” in St Petersburg, and in 2019 ran in the municipal elections in Pushkin. In 2022, Vaganov came out after the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to ban the so-called “International LGBT Social Movement,” which does not actually exist.

16.07.2025

12:54

Roman Malozemov, an independent candidate for the Novosibirsk city council in Siberia, has been added to the register of “persons affiliated with foreign agents.” He received notification of this after he had collected the signatures required to stand for election. The document was published by the Telegram channel “Sibirsky Express.”

Malozemov registered as a self-nominated candidate from constituency No 6. The day after he announced he had collected all the necessary signatures, he was handed a notification from the head of the district election commission. The document stated that, according to a Ministry of Justice check, Malozemov “has the status of a person affiliated with a foreign agent.” The check, according to the notification, was conducted on 25 June 2025—the very day Malozemov began collecting signatures for his candidacy.

Malozemov does not know exactly which organisation he is supposedly “affiliated” with. “I don’t know which foreign agent I’m affiliated with—maybe Monetochka, because I listen to her on Yandex Music,” he commented.

Malozemov also noted that he was unable to check the register, as it is closed to the public. The self-nominated candidate has started collecting signatures again and is also preparing a court claim.

The concept of persons “affiliated” with “foreign agents” appeared in Russian legislation in 2022. It is a list of individuals whom the Ministry of Justice has not included in the official “foreign agent” list, but whom it nevertheless considers connected to those people and organisations already designated. The “affiliated persons” list is not public, and it is unknown who is included or on what grounds. As of November 2023, there were 861 people in the “register of persons affiliated with foreign agents.” Ministry of Justice staff say that most were connected with “activity during the preparation and conduct of elections.”

12.07.2025

10:42

Moscow

In the past two days, Moscow courts have received 28 administrative cases related to violations of “foreign agent” legislation, OVD-Info has noted. Twenty of these concern the now-dissolved “Rylkov Foundation” and its founder, Anna Sarang.

On 10 July, the Tagansky District Court received four protocols: against actress Yana Troyanova, the author of the podcast “Decline of the Empire” Andrei Aksenov, journalist Fidel Agumava and member of the “Freedom of Russia” legion Aleksei Baranovsky. Protocols were drawn up against them for failing to include a “foreign agent” disclaimer in their publications (part 4, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

On 11 July, the same court received a protocol against economist and former Putin adviser Andrei Illarionov, who was accused of failing to submit a quarterly report (part 2, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences). However, his case was transferred from the Tagansky Court to another court according to jurisdiction.

Three more protocols under the article on failure to provide a report were submitted to the Basmanny Court on 10 and 11 July. They were filed against singer Monetochka, journalist Anna Narinskaya and Alexander Shvarev, whom the Ministry of Justice considers one of the authors of the Telegram channel “VChK-OGPU.”

On 10 July, twenty protocols were immediately submitted to the Khoroshyovsky Court. Eight of them were drawn up against the “Andrei Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice” and another 12 against its founder, Anna Sarang. In all these cases, they are accused of failing to provide a report. The foundation worked to defend the rights of people who use psychoactive substances, helping them access treatment and resolve legal issues and mental health problems. Last summer, Sarang reported that the foundation ceased operations in December 2023 after losing funding due to its “foreign agent” status, assigned back in 2016.

27.06.2025

11:16

Moscow

The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow has received seven administrative reports under the “foreign agent” article against the Civic Assistance Committee, which supports refugees and migrants, and six more similar reports against the Prisoners’ Rights Defence Foundation. OVD-Info drew attention to this.

All six reports (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) against the Prisoners’ Rights Defence Foundation were registered by the court on 26 June. The reports against the Civic Assistance Committee were received on 24 and 26 June (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

The reports for both organisations were filed under the article concerning the failure to submit, late submission, submission of an incomplete “foreign agent” report, or submitting it with false information (Part 2, Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Legal entities under this charge face a fine ranging from 300,000 to 500,000 roubles (approximately US$3,400 to US$5,700).

These cases will be considered by Judge Elena Kulikova. The hearing dates have not yet been set.

20.06.2025

14:44

Ulyanovsk Oblast

Six administrative offence reports have been filed against ASTRA’s editor-in-chief, Anastasiya Chumakova, for alleged violations of “foreign agent” legislation.

The reports were submitted to the Zavolzhsky District Court in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River, on 19 June. Three of them were drawn up under the article on failure to submit a “foreign agent” report (part 2, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences), and another three concern carrying out “foreign agent” activities by a person not included in the official “foreign agent” register (part 1, article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

Chumakova herself has not been officially designated a “foreign agent,” but the Ministry of Justice listed her in the register as a member of ASTRA—this media outlet was added to the relevant register in October 2024.

04.06.2025

16:50

Ulyanovsk Oblast

The Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Ulyanovsk has closed the administrative case concerning the sale of a “foreign agent’s” book on the Wildberries marketplace without proper labelling. This was reported by Mediazona.

The protocol had been filed against Artem Karabanov, owner of the BookMart online bookstore, which operates on the platform. The reason was the sale of the novel “Russen, komm!” by writer Elizaveta Alexandrova-Zorina. She was added to the “foreign agents” register in February.

The administrative article on failure to comply with the law on “foreign agents” (Part 42, Article 19.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences), with which the bookseller was charged, requires the Ministry of Justice to first send a warning to anyone mentioning a “foreign agent” online without noting their status. If this is not corrected in time, the person faces administrative responsibility, Mediazona notes.

It turned out the Ministry of Justice confused the surname and sent the notice about the protocol not to “Karabanov A.I.” but to “Kabanov A.I.” “There is no other evidence in the case materials that Karabanov was properly and promptly notified <…>,” the judge added.

Although there is still no mention of Alexandrova-Zorina’s “foreign agent” status on the product page, the judge ruled that there was no offence committed and closed the case.

14.05.2025

14:30

The Leningrad Regional Court has overturned the fine imposed on St Petersburg priest Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko. He wrote about this on his Telegram channel.

In March, Mikhnov-Vaitenko was fined 15,000 roubles (approx. US$165) under an article for failure to comply with an order to eliminate violations of the “foreign agent” legislation (Part 42, Article 19.5 of the Administrative Code).

The reason was a repost from the outlet Bumaga, which has been designated a “foreign agent.” The court decided that the priest had not indicated the project’s status after being warned by the Ministry of Justice. Mikhnov-Vaitenko himself stated that he had not received any instructions from the authorities. The appeal court agreed that the Ministry of Justice had not properly informed the priest, and cancelled the fine.

Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko was also added to the “foreign agent” register in July 2024. The Ministry of Justice stated that the priest had spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and had spread unreliable information about the actions of the Russian authorities.

09.05.2025

20:11

The TV channel “TV3” has cut scenes featuring Anatoly Bely, who has been designated a “foreign agent,” from the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet.” This was reported by the publication Verstka.

This concerns the adaptation of the novella “The Dawns Here Are Quiet…,” which was released in Russian cinemas in 2015. In it, actor Anatoly Bely plays a minor role as Major “Comrade 'Third'.”

In the film, the actor appears for one minute: after a drunken brawl between soldiers, their sergeant Fedot Vaskov is reprimanded by “Comrade 'Third'.” As a result, the major gives Vaskov the task of bringing in new recruits who do not drink.

Additionally, Bely’s character appears at the end of the film, running to the wounded Vaskov with reinforcements. In the TV3 version, Bely is only visible in moments where he cannot be recognised due to blurred footage. Anatoly Bely’s name has also been removed from the film’s credits.

The Ministry of Justice added Anatoly Bely to the register of “foreign agents” in December 2023. The ministry stated that Bely distributed materials from other “foreign agents,” criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and took part in events raising funds for the Ukrainian army.

05.05.2025

11:57

Ryazan Oblast

Sofia Ivanova, coordinator of the “Golos” movement in Ryazan, had a single kopeck confiscated; the authorities considered the money to be the activist’s income and transferred it to her “special account” as a so-called “foreign agent.” Ivanova herself told Novaya Gazeta about this.

The single kopeck was a bank interest payment on 1,000 rubles (about US$11) that had been sitting for several years in Ivanova’s savings account at Sberbank.

The activist points out that she did not set up the “special account” herself. In addition to the kopeck, just over 10 rubles (about US$0.11) from another account was transferred there.

The Ministry of Justice added Sofia Ivanova to the “foreign agent” register on 29 September 2021. The grounds for Ivanova’s inclusion in the list were 500 rubles (about US$5.50) received from a citizen of Uzbekistan and 15 reposts on social media of materials from Meduza, Radio Free Europe, and other media outlets.

In December 2024, Putin signed a law stating that “foreign agents’” income from the sale or rental of real estate or vehicles, as well as from dividends and interest on deposits, must be paid into special rouble accounts. The same applies to fees “from the use of the results of intellectual activity and brands.” They will only be able to use these funds after they are removed from the “foreign agent” register.

17.04.2025

11:37

Novosibirsk Oblast

The Kirovsky District Court in Novosibirsk, a major city in Siberia, has fined former deputy Svetlana Kaverzina 100,000 roubles (approximately US$1,100) for violating “foreign agent” legislation. Kaverzina’s lawyer, Olga Nechaeva, informed OVD-Info of the ruling.

On 17 April, the court found the ex-deputy guilty of failing to self-report as a “foreign agent” (Part 1, Art. 19.34 of the Administrative Code). According to Nechaeva, Kaverzina was prosecuted as the head of “Novosibirsk 2020 Coalition”—an independent association of opposition politicians and public figures in Novosibirsk.

The Ministry of Justice claimed that the “Novosibirsk 2020 Coalition” “conducts political activity, disseminates information and materials intended for an unlimited audience, while under foreign influence.” The agency believes Kaverzina should have submitted a statement declaring her “intention to operate as a foreign agent before beginning such activity.”

The former deputy stated:

“If I seriously answer the question: ‘Who leads the Coalition? ,’ the answer is simple, really: divine providence. Somehow, everything always comes together without any special effort, no one does anything in particular, it just happens on its own. Really, without divine providence, there’s no other way to explain how the Coalition survives.”

Olga Nechaeva noted that the court imposed the minimum possible fine on Svetlana Kaverzina.

The Ministry of Justice designated the “Novosibirsk 2020 Coalition” as a “foreign agent” in August 2024. The agency stated that its members include former Novosibirsk deputies Svetlana Kaverzina, Anton Kartavin, Helga Pirogova, and Sergey Boyko. Several months before this, the Ministry of Justice had designated all four as “foreign agents.” Later, Kaverzina and Kartavin were stripped of their mandates due to their “foreign agent” status.

11.04.2025

14:32

The Butyrsky District Court in Moscow has fined rapper Ligalize (Andrey Menshikov) 50,000 roubles (US$550) for failing to remove a link to his joint music video with Mr Freeman, who has been designated a “foreign agent.” This was reported by the press service of the capital’s courts and highlighted by Mediazona.

Ligalize was found guilty under the article for failing to comply with a warning to remedy a violation of the “foreign agents” law (Part 42 Article 19.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

In June 2023, animator Pavel Muntyan, known as Mr Freeman, released a music video for Ligalize’s song “Peace! To Your! Home!.” The video contains real footage of Russian soldiers and destruction in Ukraine. In Russia, access to the video has been blocked.

Ligalize posted a link to the video on his Telegram channel. In autumn 2024, the rapper was issued a warning demanding that he delete the post because it did not mention Pavel Muntyan’s “foreign agent” status. When he failed to remove the link, an administrative case was opened against him.

Pavel Muntyan, who is currently in exile, was designated a “foreign agent” in April 2023. He was arrested in absentia on charges of spreading military “fake news.” Ligalize himself was declared a “foreign agent” at the end of 2024.

10.04.2025

12:14

At least 26 accounts belonging to “foreign agents” have been blocked on the Boosty fundraising platform. This was reported by the outlet Verstka.

Links to these accounts are listed in the Ministry of Justice’s “foreign agent” registry. In total, the ministry’s list provides 53 links to accounts belonging to individuals and organisations labelled as “foreign agents.”

According to Verstka, in the first half of April, accounts belonging to journalists Tatyana Felgengauer and Masha Borzunova, sports commentator Alexander Shmurnov, columnist Yulia Latynina, comedian Mikhail Schatz, the media outlet ASTRA, activist Darya Heikinen, and film critic Anton Dolin were among those blocked.

The politician Elvira Vikhareva was the first to write about the mass blocking of “foreign agent” accounts on Boosty on 8 April.

ASTRA reported on its Telegram channel that Boosty blocked the outlet’s account twice, causing two staff members to lose their pay. The platform explained to the outlet that the blocking was connected to clause 8.6 of Boosty’s agreement.

“Clause 8.6 of the agreement states that the service may delete a user’s account ‘to comply with applicable law or procedure or at the request of a court, law enforcement agency or other administrative or state authority,’ <…> or if you ‘provided inaccurate, fraudulent, outdated, or incomplete information during registration or afterwards,’ or if ‘the company has received complaints about your performance or behaviour,’” Astra quotes the service’s explanatory comment.

09.04.2025

10:04

Russia

The donation collection service Boosty is blocking the pages of ‘foreign agents,’ reported politician Elvira Vikhareva.

“It seems that Boosty is having quite the ‘foreign agent’ day: besides me, pages of at least three other comrades in misfortune have also been blocked. I think there are actually more,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.

According to SOTA, in addition to Vikhareva’s page, the platform has also made unavailable the page of journalist Sergey Auslender. The service has not stated the reasons for the blocks.

Previously, at the demand of Roskomnadzor, Boosty blocked the account of the outlet “To Be Continued” and the donation page of the independent publication “Discourse.”

12:15 Boosty is blocking pages because it complies with Russian law on “foreign agents.” Elvira Vikhareva published a response from the service with this information.

The blocks are connected to a new law regulating how “foreign agents” receive and use funds. “Since the service supports payment methods inside Russia, the platform has been forced to introduce certain changes dictated by this law,” the service said in its response.

The service requires “foreign agents” to forgo closed paid posts and to collect donations as charitable gifts. “You must not write ‘Content purchase,’ ‘Access to closed content,’ ‘Access to exclusive issues,’ or ‘Access to restricted materials,’ ‘ the service administration wrote.

In addition, “Angry Chuvashiya” announced that it has deleted its Boosty page. “Unfortunately, the new changes in Russian law have also affected Boosty’s usage rules. Ninety per cent of our options on the platform have been closed. We’ve made the difficult decision to close our page,” the project wrote.

30.03.2025

14:54

Chelyabinsk Oblast

The Uvelsky District Court in Chelyabinsk Region has fined Yuri Gurman, co-chair of the Golos movement, 40,000 roubles (about US$440) for a speech at a public hearing in which he failed to state that he has been declared a “foreign agent” by the authorities. This was reported by 7×7, which noted a post from the court’s press service.

Gurman was found guilty of failing to declare his “foreign agent” status (Article 19.34, part 3 of the administrative offences code).

The court stated that in November 2024, Gurman spoke at a public hearing for residents of Khomutinino—a village in the region—attended by more than 100 people. He addressed the heads of Uvelsky municipal district and Khomutininskoye rural settlement, but “did not state his foreign agent status.”

The hearing discussed the issue of merging rural settlements in Uvelsky district in order to convert it into a municipal district. In the end, the majority of participants voted in favour of the merger.

25.03.2025

09:57

Moscow

In just one day, the Tagansky District Court in Moscow received seven administrative offence protocols concerning violations of the “foreign agent” legislation, OVD-Info has noted.

On 24 March, the court registered three administrative protocols for the absence of a label identifying materials as belonging to a “foreign agent” (Part 4, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). These were filed against Olga Romanova, head of the Rus’ Sidyashchaya foundation, blogger Darya Bogdanova (known as “Pepel Klaasa”), and journalist Andrey Soldatov. Previously, the Ministry of Justice had designated all three as “foreign agents.”

A further four administrative protocols were drawn up under the article concerning the absence of “foreign agent” labelling in materials from a participant or head of a public association or legal entity listed in the “foreign agent” register (Part 5, Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). These were issued to one of the creators of the media outlet Ateo, Grigory Ozerov; journalist Dmitry Kovalenko, whom the Ministry of Justice regards as the author of the Nezygar channel; journalist Maria Volokh, whom the Ministry links to the “Mozhem Obyasnit” project; and Elizaveta Tsybulina, whom the Ministry considers a participant in the human rights project “First Department.”

The court hearings for these administrative offence protocols have not yet been scheduled.

Last week, on 19 March, Moscow courts received 13 administrative offence protocols at once, also for violations of the “foreign agent” legislation.

20.03.2025

13:13

On 19 March, numerous reports of violations of the “foreign agent” legislation were filed with Moscow courts, as noted by OVD-Info.

The Khamovnichesky District Court received a case concerning the lawyer Elena Lukyanova.

The Tagansky District Court registered cases concerning journalist Mikhail Zygar, participant in the “Freedom of Russia” Legion Alexei Baranovsky, the head of “First Department,” Dmitry Zair-Bek, journalist Alisher Adbulaev, Anti-Corruption Foundation staff member Maria Pevchikh, politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky, sex educator Sasha Kazantseva, journalist Igor Yakovenko, blogger Yury Dud, journalist Renat Davletgildeev, historian Konstantin Pakhalyuk, and comedian Semyon Slepakov.

Story

Fines, charges and pressure over violations of ‘foreign agent’ legislation

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