On 9 September 2022, the Russian Justice Ministry added journalists Yuliya Latynina and Michael Naki to its list of ‘foreign agents’. It also added journalist Andrey Afanasyev and activist and journalist Yelena Shukayeva to a separate list of “foreign agent media outlets”.
Yuliya Latynina regularly publishes articles for newspaper Novaya Gazeta and other independent media outlets. Michael Naki is an independent journalist and blogger, who previously hosted shows on Ekho Moskvy, a Moscow-based radio station. Both have left Russia prior to the country’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Andrey Afanasyev publishes for Sibir.Realii, a project focused on Siberia created by RFE/RL, a media corporation funded by the US Congress. Yelena Shukayeva collaborates with RFE/RL and other independent media outlets. Both her and Afanasyev left Russia soon after their designation as “foreign agent media outlets”.
Additionally, the Russian Justice Ministry designated Vremya Kolokolchikov, a media production company created by Russian media developer Mitya Aleshkovsky, as a “foreign agent media outlet”.
Journalists and companies designated as “foreign agents” or “foreign agent media outlets” are submitted to publication restrictions in Russia, and are obliged to declare their activities and revenues to the Russian Ministry of Justice.