Russia Ex-oligarch Khodorkovsky and chess master Kasparov were classified in Russia as “foreign agents”

Russian the former oligarch has been classified by the ministry of justice Mikhail Khodorkovsky and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov “Foreign agents,” news agencies say.

Each of the men is a well-known president Vladimir Putin and a critic of the Russian attack.

Those on the list of foreign agents are typically anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and journalists accused of foreign-funded political activity.

In practice, the activities of listed persons and organizations in Russia are hampered by restrictions and the threat of penalties. In addition, those on the list must declare that they are foreign agents in all their publishing activities.

Other individuals on the list include an opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza and a TV reporter Leonid Kiseljov.

58 years old According to the Russian Ministry of Justice, Khodorkovsky and 59-year-old Kasparov have received “funding” for their activities from Ukraine.

Author and Putin critic Kasparov has lived in the United States for nearly a decade. Kasparov has been blacklisted by Russia for his work in the Human Rights Foundation.

Kasparov told HS about his fight against Putin’s policy in a 2017 release in an interview.

“I try to be as careful as I can, but criticizing Putin and trying to subvert him is a pretty risky job,” he said at the time.

Khodorkovsky was apparently the richest man in Russia and one of the most influential oligarchs in the country at the time. He was enriched by the Yukos oil company, of which he was CEO.

After Putin came to power, Khodorkovsky began to oppose Kremlin policies. He served a prison sentence from 2003 to 2013, after which he went into exile in Europe.

Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia organization has already been on the list of foreign agents since 2017. The organization that funded the opposition disbanded last year under growing pressure.

HS interviewed Khodorkovsky in the spring after the Russian invasion began. According to Khodorkovsky, starting the war was such a fatal mistake for Putin that it will still lead to the end of this power.

“There is no doubt that Putin has hastened the beginning of his end with this absurd decision.”