FILE – Former Russian prime minister and one of the opposition leaders, Mikhail Kasyanov (center), takes part in a march in memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, Russia, on February 24, 2019. The Russian Ministry of Justice on Friday, November 24, 2023, added Mikhail Kasyanov, who was President Vladimir Putin’s first prime minister but then became one of his opponents, to the register of “foreign agents”. Under Russian law, individuals and organizations that receive money or support from outside the country can be referred to as “foreign agents,” a term whose pejorative connotations could undermine the appointee’s credibility. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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.”
Under Russian law, individuals and organizations that receive money or support from outside the country can be referred to as foreign agents, a term whose derogatory connotations could undermine the agent’s credibility.
The law, often used against opposition figures and independent news media outlets, also requires that material published by an agent bear a prominent disclaimer stating that it comes from a foreign agent.
The ministry’s website says that Kasyanov “was involved in the creation and distribution of news and materials of foreign agents to an unlimited circle of people, spread false information about the decisions of the authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies they pursued” and “rejected the special military operation in Ukraine.”
Kasyanov became prime minister in 2000 after Putin was elected president and remained in office until 2004, when he was fired. He was primarily responsible for economic reforms, including the introduction of a unified income tax in Russia.
After leaving office, he became a prominent opposition figure and attempted to run for president in 2008, but his candidacy was rejected by the National Election Commission.
Kasyanov later disappeared from view as Russia’s opposition weakened through arrests and repression. After Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Kasyanov left the country and is said to have been in Latvia.