On 23 March 2023, the Russian Ministry of Justice updated its list of “foreign agents”, adding to it Ruslan Aysin, a journalist and columnist at Idel.Realii (the regional edition for Russia’s Volga region of RFE/RL, a U.S. Congress-financed media corporation). Aysin regularly authored articles for Idel.Realii, including publications shedding light on issues faced by the Russian army during its ongoing large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Initially adopted in 2012, Russia’s law on foreign agents has been revised several times over the past decade to include an ever-wider range of potential targets for state-sponsored discrimination. Currently, any organization, media or private individual can be designated as such simply by being declared to be “under foreign influence” by the Russian Ministry of Justice or because of receiving funds of any amount from abroad (or from an entity itself receiving foreign funds). “Foreign agents” are also barred from receiving state financing, teaching at state universities, working with minors and providing expertise on environmental issues, among other restrictions.