WORLD NEWS | RUSSIA – Putin’s ex-speechwriter Russia puts ex-Putin speechwriter on list of foreign agents

MOSCOW, Feb. 11 (AP) – Russia on Friday added President Vladimir Putin’s former speechwriter to its roster of foreign surrogates, along with one of the country’s most popular singers and a fled abroad famous opposition politician.

Russian law requires organizations and individuals identified as receiving foreign funding to identify themselves as “foreign agents,” which could damage their credibility and silence dissent.

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The Justice Department said Abbas Galyamov “distributed to numerous people material produced by foreign agents, publicly opposed Ukraine’s special military operations, (and) participated as an expert and interviewee on information platforms provided by foreign agencies” .

Galliamov, who wrote speeches for Putin during his prime ministership from 2008-12, is often quoted by foreign media. He recently drew attention for an appearance on CNN, where he suggested that Putin might face a military coup.

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The ministry said it also included pop star Zemfira Ramazanova, who performed only using her first name, on the list. She spoke out against Russian military action in Ukraine and accepted unspecified foreign funding, the ministry said.

Dmitry Gudkov, a prominent opposition politician before fleeing Russia in 2021, was also designated as a foreign agent. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)