Banker Oleg Tinkov Included in Foreign Agents Register

On February 16, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation updated its foreign agents register once again. Among others, banker Oleg Tinkov has been added to the list. This was reported on the agency's website.

The list also includes Nikita Kukushkin, an actor from the "Gogol-Center" theater group and founder of the "HELP" charity project; journalist, critic, and playwright Anna Nariniskaya; philosopher and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yulia Sineokaya; and human rights defender Aslan Artsuyev.

The Ministry of Justice justified Tinkov's inclusion in the foreign agents register by stating that he has opposed Russia's military operation in Ukraine, lives abroad, and has "participated in the creation of messages and materials from foreign agents for an unlimited circle of people" and that he has "spread false information regarding decisions made by state authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies they implement." Similar justifications have been provided for other Russians who have joined the foreign agents list.

Since the end of 2022, the Ministry of Justice has been maintaining a general register of foreign agents, consolidating four previously existing lists. The law on creating a unified register was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin six months ago in July 2022.

Since then, it has been sufficient for the Ministry of Justice to indicate that a new person recorded in the register is under "foreign influence" to grant them the status of a foreign agent.

Since 2022, foreign agents are prohibited from: teaching and engaging in educational activities; producing informational products; organizing public events; joining electoral commissions; being state ecological assessment experts; receiving state support; benefiting from simplified taxation; donating to party and candidate election funds; and investing in Russian strategic enterprises.