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Kremlin opponents Gary Kasparov and Mikhail Khodorkovsky described as ‘foreign agents’

Two exiled opponents of Vladimir Putin, former chess champion Gary Kasparov and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, were described in Russia today as “foreign agents”, the Russian Ministry of Justice announced.

This disgraceful label, reminiscent of the “enemies of the people” of the Soviet era, is being used en masse against opponents, journalists and human rights activists accused of carrying out foreign-funded political activities.

“Foreign agents” are subject to many restrictions and complicated procedures, under the threat of heavy sanctions. In particular, they should mention this quality in all their posts.

In the updated list on its website, the Russian Ministry of Justice states that Mikhail Khodorkovsky, 58, and Gary Kasparov, 59, have “sources” in Ukraine to finance their activities.

A former world chess champion, Kasparov has long opposed President Vladimir Putin and has lived in exile in the United States for almost a decade.

Khodorkovsky was one of Russia’s most powerful businessmen in the 1990s, before confronting the Kremlin when Putin came to power in 2000.

He spent ten years in prison, between 2003 and 2013, and has lived in exile ever since. For years, he financed mainly in Russia the organization of the opposition Open Russia, which dissolved itself in May 2021 in the face of growing repression.

SOURCE: AMPE

Source: Capital

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