Anti-Kremlin Political Parties Peaceful Russia and Rassvet Named ‘Foreign Agents’

Detailed summary

Russia’s Justice Ministry on Friday designated the anti-Kremlin political parties Peaceful Russia and Rassvet as “foreign agents” over accusations that they spread false…

Russia’s Justice Ministry on Friday designated the anti-Kremlin political parties Peaceful Russia and Rassvet as “foreign agents” over accusations that they spread false information about the government and discredit the country’s electoral system.

Peaceful Russia was founded earlier this year by a group of exiled opposition figures, led by former Moscow councilman and political prisoner Ilya Yashin, to unite Russia’s fragmented anti-war movement and eventually challenge President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

“Under the guise of false patriotism, these people are serving the interests of China and are turning our country into a mere resource appendage of China,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rassvet, founded by 2024 presidential hopeful Yekaterina Duntsova, denied allegations that it received foreign funding and suggested the Justice Ministry’s designation was illegal.

“Today, the authorities have confirmed their course toward the complete prohibition of opposition activity and opposition political parties in Russia,” the party said in a statement.

Neither Peaceful Russia nor Rassvet is an officially registered political party.

On Friday, the Justice Ministry added several other individuals and entities to its “foreign agents” list, including feminist activist and poet Galina Rymbu, publicist Boris Grozovsky, journalist Marat Temirov, as well as activists Lyudmila Garina and Nikita Rodkin and Marat Temirov.

A Telegram channel dedicated to anti-Kremlin occult healer Svetlana Lada-Rus was also added to the list, as was the investigative news outlet Razoblacheno after it was accused of issuing calls to take part in unauthorized protests.

Separately, the Justice Ministry added 10 exiled opposition figures to its newly created list of individuals subject to “temporary restrictive measures,” including journalists Yury Dud and Alexander Nevzorov, as well as politicians Leonid Volkov and Dmitry Gudkov.

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