Russia’s Ministry of Justice on Friday declared DW journalist Alexander Smirnov as “foreign agent”.
The ministry stated that Smirnov had participated in the manufacture and distribution of materials for “foreign agents” – a label that was assigned to DW in March 2022 – and “undesirable organizations.”
He is accused of spreading fake news about the politics and decisions of the Russian government. “
Many DW journalists are already on Russia’s “foreign agent” list.
On Friday, the update of the “Foreign Agents” list included academic Yuri Pivarovov, the board chairman of the Human Rights Organization Memorial Yan Rachinski, journalist Alexi Sukhanov, advocate Igi Slabkh, economist and entrepreneur Dimitri Dimitri Nekarasov, and Journalist andrie Endry Coronvives.
Smirnov is known by his poet Penn name Delfinov in Russia.
Russia has exploded the government’s press independence and criticism since Ukraine started his full -scale invasion in February 2022.
The list of “foreign agents” by the Ministry of Russian Justice currently consists of more than 600 persons and more than 400 organizations.
