Putin’s first prime minister and later his opponent has been added to Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ list

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Justice Ministry on Friday added Mikhail Kasyanov, who was President Vladimir Putin‘s first prime minister but then became one of his opponents, to its register of “foreign agents.”

Russian law allows for figures and organizations receiving money or support from outside the country to be designated as foreign agents, a term whose pejorative connotations could undermine the designee’s credibility.

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The law, which has been extensively used against opposition figures and independent news media, also requires material published by a designee to carry a prominent disclaimer stating that it comes from a foreign agent.

The ministry’s website says Kasyanov “took part in the creation and dissemination of messages and materials of foreign agents to an unlimited circle of people, disseminated false…