Russia’s Justice Ministry says 96% of new ‘foreign agents’ receive no foreign funding

Source: Kommersant

Only 4% of the people and organizations designated as “foreign agents” in Russia in 2025 actually receive foreign funding, Deputy Justice Minister Oleg Sviridenko said, according to the Russian business daily Kommersant.

Speaking at a Federation Council commission meeting on the protection of state sovereignty, Sviridenko noted that before 2022, receiving foreign funding was a prerequisite for the “foreign agent” designation.

“If that were still the only criterion today, it would cover just 4% of foreign agents. Can you imagine? Where would all the rest be? We’d be out there with Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service looking for money that doesn’t exist. And money isn’t even needed anymore — there are other forms now,” the official said.

Since 2022, a law has been in force in Russia allowing authorities to designate as “foreign agents” anyone who receives support from abroad or is deemed to be “under foreign influence in other forms,” even without receiving foreign funding.

As of 2026, more than 1,200 individuals and organizations have been added to Russia’s “foreign agents” list. In 2025 alone, 178 individuals and 37 organizations were designated. According to a study by OVD-Info, journalists were added to the register particularly often. Eighty percent of new “foreign agents” were designated for speaking out against the war or expressing support for Ukraine.

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Russia’s Justice Ministry says 96% of new ‘foreign agents’ receive no foreign funding

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Russia’s Justice Ministry says 96% of new ‘foreign agents’ receive no foreign funding

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