Russia declares former PM and Putin critic a ‘foreign agent’

The Russian former prime minister and now Kremlin critic Mikhail Kasyanov has been added to the list of foreign agents, Russia’s justice ministry has announced.

The “foreign agent” designation requires people and entities on the list to place a disclaimer on items they publish and imposes strict financial reporting and self-disclosure requirements, reports Reuters.

Kasyanov first made his name as a foreign debt expert, rising swiftly through the finance ministry in the 1990s.

As finance minister, he led negotiations to restructure massive Soviet-era commercial debts, securing a large discount and a reputation as a suave but tough negotiator.

He served as prime minister for the first four years of Putin’s administration and was sacked in February 2004, weeks before Putin was elected for a second term.

After his sacking, he went into opposition to the Kremlin. In 2022, he left the country and has criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies

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