Kasyanov, President Vladimir Putin’s first head of government at the turn of the century, is on the Justice Ministry’s register of “foreign agents,” a term similar to the Soviet-era term “enemy of the people.”
The ministry accused Kasyanov of being “opposed to the special military operation in Ukraine,” as Moscow calls its war, and of being “a member of the Russian Anti-War Committee, an association whose actions are aimed at discrediting Russia’s domestic and foreign policy.”
This organization, which is not characterized by much activity, was founded abroad by several opponents of the Russian government, including former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Mr. Kasyanov was Mr. Putin’s prime minister in the first years of his leadership, from 2000 to 2004, but later began to sharply criticize the Russian president.
In an interview with AFP in June 2022, he stated that he no longer knows the V. Putin with whom he worked, and expressed the hope that Russia would one day return “to the path of democracy”.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, M. Kasyanov headed a small liberal-leaning People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS).
Last June, he announced that he had left Russia.
The status of “foreign agent” for a person or organization means severe administrative constraints, including constant verification of funding.
They are also required to mark any publication, including on social networks, with the “foreign agent” tag.
After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian government intensified repression against dissidents.
Almost all the main opposition figures are in prison or have left the country.
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2024-09-01 21:14:41
