Russia’s Ministry of Justice designated popular fiction writer Grigori Chkhartishvili (pen name Boris Akunin) a “foreign agent” for his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry said Friday that Chkhartishvili “opposed the special military operation in Ukraine.” Chkhartishvili’s cited opposition was a Facebook post written the day Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the post, he wrote, “Russia is ruled by a psychologically deranged dictator and worst of all, it obediently follows his paranoia.”
The designation follows the author’s registration on a list of “terrorists and extremists” by Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial regulator, in December. Following his registration, Russia’s Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Chkartishvilli, who has resided in the UK since 2014, on charges of “justifying terrorism” and “disseminating knowingly false information about the Armed Forces.” Akunin was a best-selling author of historical detective novels until his books were removed from bookstores and libraries following the December registration.
The “foreign agent” legislation requires individuals or groups to identify themselves as foreign agents on published items and imposes strict financial reporting and self-disclosure requirements. The designation underscores growing international concerns about Russia’s campaign to target independent media critical of the Kremlin. To address the voices of criticism, “foreign agents” legislation includes almost any individual or entity that engages in civic activism or comments on Russian government policy. Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that these repressive measures hinder freedom of expression and legitimate civic activism in Russia, calling for a response from neighbouring governments and international organisations. The adoption of this law in December 2022 has seen hundreds of writers organisations and cultural figures that have criticised the Kremlin become designated as “foreign agents.”
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, responded to the investigation of Chkhartishvili in December. Struthers warned that the targeting of the author is unfounded and is an exemplification of Russia’s campaign against anyone who expresses dissent against the Kremlin, especially related to the war in Ukraine. Struthers went on to state, “Many others including artists, performers, musicians, and filmmakers have found themselves persecuted and isolated from Russian cultural life simply due to their opposition to the war.”
This shows a systematic response of Russia to suppress vocal critics, with the present designation being one of many “foreign agent” categorisations in the last year. Former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov was added to the registry of “foreign agents” in November after he criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dmitry Muratov was also designated as a foreign agent was justified on the grounds that he “used foreign platforms to disseminate opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude towards the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation.”
Many cultural figures have fled the country since the commencement of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine as censorship laws continue to escalate.
