On 4 April 2025, Russia’s Ministry of Justice designated journalist Aleksey Lushnikov, journalist and film critic Yekaterina Barabash, as well as online outlet Glasnaya as “foreign agents”, Russian media reported.
Authorities claimed that the three opposed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and disseminated “fake news” about the decisions and policies of Russian authorities.
Barabash is a well-known film critic who was recently detained on charges of disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army. She faces up to 10 years in jail and has been placed under house arrest pending trial.
Lushnikov is a well-known former TV presenter from St. Petersburg. He is the creator of the Russian TV channel ” Your Public Television! “. He currently lives outside of Russia. Last year, he and journalist Alexander Nevzorov were fined for reposting content produced by “foreign agents” without mentioning their status.
Glasnaya defines itself as a “social journalistic project aimed at overcoming stereotypes and promoting gender equality in Russian society”.
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.