Russia’s Justice Ministry has officially labeled Dmitry Muratov, the editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and the recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, as a “foreign agent.” This designation was announced on Friday.

Dmitry Muratov is accused of “creating and disseminating content produced by foreign entities and utilizing foreign media to promote viewpoints that aim to foster a negative perception of Russia’s domestic and foreign policies,” as reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Additionally, economist Konstantin Sonin was also added to this list, as confirmed by Novaya Gazeta Europe.

The Justice Ministry stated that Sonin “appeared as a source in foreign media,” according to information provided by the newspaper.

Furthermore, several other individuals were included in the list of “foreign agents,” including Oksana Barsheva, a journalist with Echo of Moscow; comedian Ruslan Bely; Mayrbek Vachagayev, a Chechen historian; Maksim Reznik, a St. Petersburg politician; Oleg Radzinsky, an author; Yevgeny Karpov, a former leader of Alexey Navalny’s office in Voronezh; and Denis Katev, a journalist with TV Rain, as reported by the newspaper.

Dmitry Muratov has been known for his consistent criticism of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

The designation of “foreign agent” carries various financial and public disclosure regulations and restrictions.

Source: with agencies