The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on the evening of March 10 expanded the list of “foreign agents”.
Economist Sergei Guriev, politician Gennady Gudkov, former head of Yandex.News and creator of the True Story aggregator Lev Gershenzon, blogger Nika Vodvud, journalist Daniil Gubarev, as well as the Free Buryatia Foundation and the Wildlife Fund (WWF) were included in the register.
According to the department, in particular, Sergey Guriev “spoke negatively about the military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”, and also “distributed false information through foreign publications about the decisions made by the state bodies of the Russian Federation and the policies they pursue.”
Representatives of WWF, according to the Ministry of Justice, “under the guise of protecting nature and the environment <…> tried to influence the decisions of the executive and legislative authorities of the Russian Federation, hindered the implementation of industrial and infrastructure projects.”
The Meduza Foundation itself said that they consider the inclusion of “foreign agents” in the register unreasonable and will seek its review in court. WWF also emphasized that it will continue to “protect rare species of animals and preserve the nature of Russia, fulfilling its obligations.”
