How Russia expanded its foreign agents law
Many countries, including the US, have laws on foreign agents requiring lobbyists and representatives of foreign states to register with the government. But in Russia, the law has been weaponized by the Kremlin to silence dissenting voices.
Darya Apakhonchich, a Russian-language teacher from St. Petersburg, was one of the first individuals affected under an expanded law that allows the government to list individuals as foreign agents. Since 2012, non-profits and media with funding from outside Russia had been forced to register. But in December 2020, Vladimir Putin expanded the law so that any Russian who is paid from abroad and is considered to be “politically active” can be listed. While Darya has participated in some feminist protests, it was her teacher’s salary from the Red Cross which got her into trouble. Darya explains how the law is turning Russia into a country filled with foreign agents.
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