Russia on Friday added a former speechwriter for President Vladimir Putin to its register of foreign agents, along with one of the country’s most famous singers and a top opposition politician who fled abroad.
Russian law requires organizations and individuals determined to have received foreign funding to identify themselves as “foreign agents,” potentially undermining their credibility and stifling dissent.
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The Justice Ministry said Abbas Gallyamov “distributed materials created by foreign agents to an unlimited circle of people, spoke out against the special military operation in Ukraine, (and) participated as an expert and respondent in information platforms provided from foreign structures”.
Russia has added several prominent figures to its register of foreign agents.
Gallyamov, who wrote speeches for Putin during his 2008-12 stint as prime minister, is frequently quoted in foreign media. He recently garnered attention with an appearance on CNN in which he suggested Putin could face a military coup.
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The ministry said it had also listed pop star Zemfira Ramazanova, who performs using only her name. She had publicly opposed Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and received unspecified foreign funds, the ministry said.
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Dmitry Gudkov, a well-known opposition politician before fleeing Russia in 2021, has also been designated a foreign agent.
