Russia brands Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov 'foreign agent'

ANKARA

Russia’s Justice Ministry branded the editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, and the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a “foreign agent” Friday.

Dmitry Muratov is accused of “creating and disseminating work produced by foreign agents and used foreign media to promote opinions that are aimed at forming a negative attitude towards Russia’s interior and foreign policy,” Novaya Gazeta Europe wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Konstantin Sonin, an economist, was also added to the list, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported.

Sonin “appeared in foreign media as a respondent,” the newspaper quoted Justice Ministry.

Oksana Barsheva, a journalist with Echo of Moscow, comedian Ruslan Bely, Mayrbek Vachagayev, a Chechen historian, Maksim Reznik, a St. Petersburg politician, Oleg Radzinsky, an author, Yevgeny Karpov, a former leader of Alexey Navalny’s office in Voronezh, and Denis Katev, a journalist with TV Rain, were also included on the list of “foreign agents,” said the newspaper.

Muratov has been a frequent critic of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The “foreign agent” designation imposes rules and restrictions related to finances and public disclosures.