The Justice Ministry released a schedule outlining routine inspections of foreign agents for 2024, accompanied by an Excel table that lists registration addresses of individuals, tax identifiers, social security numbers, and dates of birth for those labeled as foreign agents. The disclosure was reported by Moscow online, highlighting the data contained within the table and the intent behind the process.
In total, seven individuals and entities appear on the list as foreign agents. Verification for each entry is planned to take roughly twenty days. The first listed figure is blogger Nikolai Sobolev, who was designated as a foreign agent by the Justice Ministry of the Russian Federation. Authorities are slated to visit Sobolev’s residence with investigative searches anticipated in February.
The ministry stated that these inspections serve the objective of state supervision to ensure compliance with the Russian Federation’s foreign agents legislation. The table also contains the residential addresses of numerous human rights activists and journalists, as well as organizations in the public, educational, and non-profit sectors.
Earlier in the year, Sobolev faced scrutiny from the Federal Tax Service as part of ongoing oversight. The broader context shows that foreign agent designations continue to intersect with cultural events, as artists labeled as foreign agents have faced access and scheduling challenges for New Year performances.
These developments illustrate the ongoing state approach to monitoring entities and individuals involved in activities categorized under foreign agent status, a designation with broad implications for media figures, advocates, and civil society groups operating within the country.