Moscow:
Russia has designated its first post-Soviet period overseas minister Andrei Kozyrev as a “overseas agent” over his views on President Putin and his fierce criticism of Moscow over the Russia-Ukraine battle. The announcement was made by Russia’s Ministry of Justice, which accused Mr Kozyrev of spreading faux information concerning the nation.
Andrei Kozyrev had served as overseas minister underneath Boris Yeltsen – Russia’s first primer minister after the collapse of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991. On the time Russia was underneath extreme financial stress, and in an effort to liberalize the economic system, needed to keep shut and pleasant ties with the West – US and its allies in Europe).
Years later, when Vladimir Putin turned President, Mr Kozyrev, who by then had demitted workplace, opposed a lot of Putin’s insurance policies. For greater than a decade, the disgruntled former diplomat stayed in Moscow, however in 2010, determined to maneuver completely to the US, who welcomed him.
Since his departure from Moscow, Mr Kozyrev become an outspoken and staunch critic of Vladimir Putin, usually voicing his unwavering disapproval of his insurance policies. From the very starting of the Russia-Ukraine battle, Mr Kozyrev slammed Russia’s navy marketing campaign in Ukraine.
Within the first few weeks of the battle, Mr Kozyrev contacted his former colleagues within the Russian overseas ministry to resign in protest. Over the months and years, he constructed a marketing campaign towards the Russian authorities and continued to actively criticize Moscow’s offensive.
Russia’s present overseas minister, Sergei Lavrov, was once Mr Kuzyrev’s deputy when the latter was overseas minister of Russia between 1990 and 1996. After the battle in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Mr Kuzyrev had written, “There was a time when Lavrov used to have my again. As we speak, I might watch my again if he was behind me.”
On Friday, Russia’s Justice Ministry launched a press release accusing its former overseas minister of distributing “false data” concerning the Russian authorities and its insurance policies, in addition to the Russian navy. It famous Mr Kozyrev’s persistent opposition in direction of the Kremlin and for Moscow’s “particular navy operation” in Ukraine.
Labeling him a “overseas agent”, the assertion accused the previous high diplomat of cooperating “with overseas platforms” to construct an anti-Russia narrative in the US and past, however didn’t specify the small print of this declare.
Russia’s “overseas agent” designation carries a unfavorable Soviet-era connotation and makes it necessary for folks to establish themselves as a ‘overseas agent’ on all social media platforms in addition to publications, each offline and on-line. It additionally makes it obligatory for them to declare their monetary transactions and its trails inside Russia.
In response to the Russian authorities’s transfer to label him “overseas agent”, Mr Kozyrev mocked the choice, saying it mirrored Kremlin’s mindset, which highlights “the stupidity of the regime”.
“I’m glad to hitch all these noble individuals who have likewise been designated overseas brokers by Russia,” he stated.
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