Russia Labels Opposition Parties Peaceful Russia and Rassvet 'Foreign Agents'

Russia's Justice Ministry on Friday, Nov. 6, designated two anti-Kremlin political parties, Peaceful Russia and Rassvet, as 'foreign agents'. The authorities accuse them of spreading false information about the government and discrediting the country's electoral system. Neither group is an officially registered political party.

Reaction from the parties

Peaceful Russia was founded this year by a group of exiled opposition figures led by Ilya Yashin, a former Moscow councilman and political prisoner. It aims to unite Russia's fragmented anti-war movement and eventually challenge the rule of President Vladimir Putin. Yashin said the party 'refuses' to accept the designation and accused Putin and his administration of being the real foreign agents. In his words, these people serve China's interests under the guise of false patriotism and are turning Russia into a resource appendage of China.

Rassvet was founded by Yekaterina Duntsova, who sought to run in the 2024 presidential election. The party denied receiving foreign funding and suggested the ministry's decision was illegal. In its statement, it said the authorities had confirmed their course toward a complete ban on opposition activity and opposition parties in Russia.

Others added to the list

On Friday the ministry also added feminist activist and poet Galina Rymbu, publicist Boris Grozovsky, journalist Marat Temirov, and activists Lyudmila Garina and Nikita Rodkin. A Telegram channel dedicated to Svetlana Lada-Rus, an anti-Kremlin occult healer, was listed too, as was the investigative outlet Razoblacheno, accused of calling for participation in unauthorized protests.

New restrictions registry

Separately, the ministry put 10 exiled opposition figures on its newly created list of people subject to 'temporary restrictive measures'. They include journalists Yury Dud and Alexander Nevzorov and politicians Leonid Volkov and Dmitry Gudkov. Putin set up the registry in August, and its first 12 names were added on Oct. 23. Legal experts call inclusion a form of 'civic death': those listed are denied consular support at Russian embassies abroad and barred from selling property in Russia, among other restrictions.