Moscow on Friday has labelled superstar rapper Oxxxymiron, famous among young Russians, a “foreign agent” as per the Interior Ministry’s website.
Oxxxymiron, which is the stage name of 37-year-old Miron Fyodorov, has called the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive a “catastrophe and a crime.”
His name was added to a register of “foreign agents”, a term which is used to crack down on Kremlin critics, on the website of the ministry.
The rapper is one of thousands of Russians who escaped Russia since the Kremlin sent army to Ukraine and has organized concerts in support of Ukraine refugees from abroad.
Famous Russian science fiction writer Dmitry Glukhovsky, who also condemned the offensive and was put on a wanted list for “discrediting” the Russian army- was also labelled as a “foreign agent.”
The author of a 2002 post-apocalyptic fiction novel, “Metro 2033” was put on the list after a Russian court ordered his arrest in absentia for his criticism of the offensive.
Feminist politician Alena Popova — who has long campaigned for domestic violence legislation in Russia — and a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Irina Storozheva, were also added to the foreign agent list.
The label, which reminds of the “enemy of the people” of the Soviet era, has been used extensively against opponents, journalists and human rights activists accused of conducting foreign-funded political activities.