On 5 September 2024, Russian independent media reported that authorities had placed journalist Ivan Matveev on the country’s “wanted” list. Several days later he was also arrested him in absentia (Matveev lives abroad). While the reason for these decisions was unclear, Russian media speculated that this could be due to Matveev not respecting his legal obligations as a “foreign agent”, which he was designated as in 2023.
At the time, authorities accused the journalist of supporting Ukraine, comparing contemporary Russia to Nazi Germany, disseminating “fake news” about Russian authorities, “creating a negative image of military service” and working for an organization already designated as a “foreign agent”. Matveev is known as a military affairs observer at Popularnaya Politika, an independent Russian news outlet mainly active on Youtube.
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.