Russia's Justice Ministry updated its register of 'foreign agents' on Friday, adding Ingush blogger Adam Aushev (known as 'Abu Caucasus'), Vadim Petrov — coordinator of the banned Baltic Republican Party — the Don Republican Movement, and the Libertarian Party of Russia, chaired by Sergei Karnavsky.
Last week, the ministry added a different Libertarian Party of Russia to the list; two organizations with that name have existed in the country since 2020.
Russia's 'foreign agent' law has been in effect since 2012. It allows the Justice Ministry to designate non-profit organizations, media outlets, and individuals as 'foreign agents' if they receive funding from abroad, engage in political activity, or are deemed to be 'under foreign influence'. The status restricts rights and can lead to criminal prosecution for 'failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent'.
By 2022, criminal cases had been opened against one in five 'foreign agents' in Russia; nearly one in seven was wanted, in pretrial detention, or under another preventive measure.