BBC News Russian: Nearly half of people labeled ‘media foreign agents’ have left or are preparing to leave Russia
Russia has designated 75 individuals as “media foreign agents.” And according to BBC News Russian, at least 32 of these people have left or are preparing to leave the country. Another 14 individuals had already left Russia due to pressure from the authorities before they were added to the “foreign agent” blacklist.
The Russian Justice Ministry registered its first individual as a “foreign agent” on December 28, 2020, blacklisting prominent human rights activist Lev Ponomarev. At the time of this writing, the last “media foreign agent” designation was made on December 30, 2021.
Russia’s “foreign-agent media” registry now includes 41 journalists (of which no more than 21 are still residing in Russia), 20 coordinators from the election monitoring movement Golos, and 14 lawyers, human rights activists, and artists (9 of whom are outside Russia).
BBC News Russian’s interviewees named the threat of criminal prosecution as the main reason why they chose to go abroad.
As the BBC notes, many of those who have left the country are still complying with “foreign agent” requirements in the hopes that they can one day return: they continue to add the mandatory disclaimers to their social media posts, have registered legal entities, and send financial reports to the Russian Justice Ministry.
According to the BBC, at least one person who left Russia after being declared a “foreign agent” has already returned, citing social connections and work. However, this person doesn’t rule out the possibility of having to leave again if they come under increased threat.
Yet another interviewee told BBC News Russian that she was working in Europe when she was designated a “foreign agent,” but nevertheless opted not to renew her contract and plans to return to Russia this year. The interviewee said that she wants to return so that she can more easily comply with the “foreign agent” requirements, as the Justice Ministry won’t accept financial reports online.
The BBC’s data was corroborated by interviews conducted by Artyom Vazhenkov, the Golos movement’s coordinator in Tver. Vazhenkov spoke to 44 of the 75 “foreign agents” and nearly 40 percent of them confirmed that they plan to leave or have already left Russia. Another 14 percent said that they won’t leave under any circumstances, while the rest admitted that they will only leave under threat of criminal prosecution, or if their lives or families are in danger.
