Russian celebrities labelled as 'foreign agents' for supporting Ukraine challenge Putin in court

A Moscow court on Monday disclosed that several Russian artists, who were labeled as “foreign agents” for publically supporting the Ukrainian government, have submitted appeals against the tagging.

According to the Zamoskvorechye district court, appeals have been filed by TV host and comedian Maksim Galkin, actor and musician Semyon Slepakov, blogger Ilya Varlamov, and singer Zemfira.

All four individuals left Russia last year and were branded as foreign agents following their public statements in favour of Kiev.

Galkin, who was designated as a foreign agent in September 2022 for engaging in “political activities” on behalf of a foreign government, appeared in a video where he was heard chanting slogans of Ukrainian nationalists during a concert in Dubai, which surfaced in January.

Galkin, a comedian known for hosting Russia’s version of the quiz show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ from 2001 to 2008, had performed alongside Ukraine’s future President Vladimir Zelensky in a New Year’s Eve special in 2013.

Galkin, aged 46, and his wife, 73-year-old Soviet pop icon Alla Pugacheva, fled to Israel during the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.

Pugacheva condemned Galkin’s designation and expressed her demand to be included on the list as well.

Last week, Zemfira, a rock musician who rose to fame in the early 2000s, submitted her appeal to the court, according to reports.

Born as Zemfira Ramazanova, she was added to the foreign agent list in February 2023 after criticizing the “war in Ukraine” and relocating to France.

Towards the end of March, Varlamov’s inclusion in the registry was announced.

As per the Russian Ministry of Justice, the architect and video-blogger specializing in urbanism was accused of spreading false information about government policies and receiving support from foreign entities.

Notably, Varlamov had already departed from Russia by that time and claimed to have obtained a passport from Turkmenistan.

On April 14, Slepakov was designated as a foreign agent.

The Justice Ministry justified this decision by citing his receipt of support from foreign sources, his opposition to the special military operation in Ukraine, and his involvement in promoting negative sentiments towards the Russian people, military, and government.

In a satirical song released in January, Slepakov portrayed a Russian mother expressing grief over her three-year-old child not being able to participate in warfare.

The TV comedian, screenwriter, and producer had relocated to Israel before his designation.

The foreign agents law, enacted in late 2012, allows for the identification of Russian individuals and nonprofit organizations engaged in political activities and receiving funding from abroad.

Although it does not impose civil or criminal penalties, unlike its U.S. counterpart that served as its model, those labeled as foreign agents are burdened with demanding reporting obligations.

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