Russia designates former Prime Minister and critic of Putin, Mikhail Kasyanov, as a 'foreign agent'

Russia's justice ministry has classified former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov as a "foreign agent," a term commonly used to suppress opposition against the Kremlin. Kasyanov, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, left Russia not long after the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Despite serving as prime minister during Putin's first presidential term from 2000 to 2004, Kasyanov has condemned Russia's actions in the Ukrainian conflict. As a liberal financial expert, he now resides in exile. Numerous Kremlin critics and civil society organizations are also branded as "foreign agents," a designation that previously implied involvement in espionage. According to Russian legislation, those on the list must identify themselves as "foreign agents" on their publications and provide the authorities with detailed information about their sources of funding. The justice ministry justified Kasyanov's inclusion based on his opposition to the military operation in Ukraine and his affiliation with the Russian Anti-War Committee, an association accused of discrediting Russian foreign and domestic policy. In May, Russia's Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the Party of People's Freedom (Parnas), which Kasyanov led. This small liberal opposition party had previously counted Boris Nemtsov, one of the most prominent anti-Putin critics, among its members. Nemtsov tragically lost his life near the Kremlin in 2015, having been shot dead.