Kremlin discloses list of opponents in exile subject to sanctions

A Russian Federation today released a list of opponents in exile subject to sanctions under a recent law denounced by non-governmental organizations to cause them “social death”.

On its website, the Ministry of Justice published this register with 12 people, including Mikhail Khodorkovski, Ekaterina Schulmann and Evguéni Tchitchvarkine.

All the people on the list have already left the Russian Federation and some have suffered prison sentences for reporting the invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with TASS, published Thursday, a Deputy Minister of Justice, Oleg Sviridenko, announced the creation of the list.

The law creates “temporary restrictions” for people who are outside the Russian Federation and are subject “to the execution of a sentence” that targets them.

This new legislation inflicts numerous restrictions, such as the blocking of funds deposited in Russian banks or the ban on obtaining basic public services, immediately consular services for passport renewal or marriage registration.

In a statement released in mid-August, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, stated that this law aims to inflict “a social death” on critics in exile.

“In essence, it is a targeted sanction aimed at mass voices opposed to war (in Ukraine) and government criticism and designed to make life outside the Russian Federation unsustainable,” he denounced.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has accelerated the repression of critical voices, condemning hundreds of people to heavy prison sentences.