Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko complained that citizens who have been added to the country’s “foreign agents” registry have chosen to contest “procedural aspects” of the designation rather than saying that they acted in Russia’s interests. “I’d like to highlight the fact that all of the plaintiffs cite procedural aspects. None of them say, ‘Sorry, you’ve misjudged my actions. I’m for Russia. I’m against foreign influence. Everything I do serves the interests of Russia.’ Nobody said anything like that. They all say, ‘Your decision is incorrect based on certain procedural aspects,’” the minister said.
Cover photo: Vladimir Zhuravlev / Alamy / Vida Press