Russian musician Maxim Pokrovsky added to Justice Ministry’s ‘foreign agents’ list

Russia’s Ministry of Justice has added Maxim Pokrovsky, lead singer of Russian rock band Nogu Svelo, to the “foreign agents” list.

“Pokrovsky has openly given performances in support of an unfriendly country — Ukraine, actively collaborated with foreign structures, come out with negative statements about citizens of the Russian Federation, participated in collecting money to support Ukraine,” the ministry clarifies in a statement.

Aside from Pokrovsky, Novosibirsk City Council deputy and host of YouTube show Popular Politics Sergey Boyko was made part of the list. According to the Justice Ministry, Boyko “discredited the ideas of serving one’s Homeland” and “formed a negative attitude towards military service [in others]”.

Other new “foreign agents” include head of the Journalist Alliance of Karelia Georgy Chentemirov, project Teplitsa. Technologies for Social Good, social movement Alliance of Straights and LGBT for Equality, and charity True Russia. Its co-founders are popular Russian writer Boris Akunin, choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov, and economist Sergey Guriev who is also recognised as a “foreign agent” in Russia.

“We stand for the immediate end of the war in Ukraine and help those affected by the military aggression of Putin’s armed forces. The True Russia website is a database of social, cultural and scientific initiatives of Russian-speaking communities around the world. Find out what they are and how you can help people who have suffered because of the war,” the project’s bio reads.

An administrative case on “discreditation” of the Russian army was previously opened against Pokrovsky. However, the court ruled not to prosecute the musician. The case was dropped due to statute of limitations.

The reason for initiation of the case was the musician’s social media post about Nogu Svelo’s song We Don’t Need War!

In December, Nogu Svelo released a music video with an anti-war message. In it, the parents are celebrating their first New Year’s without their son, who was killed in the war. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pokrovsky has been publicly speaking out against it.