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Russia labels acclaimed filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev a 'foreign agent'

The label adds bureaucratic reporting rules and income restrictions for Zvyagintsev, who has criticized Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

  • On Sept 18, Russia designated Director Andrey Zvyagintsev as a "foreign agent," state news agency TASS reported, a label Russia applies to those it deems to be engaging in anti-Russian activity with foreign support.
  • Zvyagintsev, who has repeatedly criticized Moscow's war in Ukraine, won the Grand Prix at the 79th Cannes Film Festival this year for "Minotaur," which critics called "one of Zvyagintsev's most openly critical commentaries on Russia."
  • Individuals labeled as "foreign agents" must warn on all publications, including social media, that content was produced by a "foreign agent," a term carrying connotations of espionage, and face onerous bureaucratic requirements and income restrictions within Russia.
  • Among other cultural figures previously labeled are writer Boris Akunin and rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov, while the director, who has lived outside Russia since the COVID pandemic, is known for films like "Leviathan," "The Return," and "The Banishment."
  • During his award acceptance, Zvyagintsev stated, "Millions of people on both sides of the front line dream of only one thing: for the massacres to stop," identifying Russian President Vladimir Putin as the only person capable of ending the war.
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28 Articles

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the country on Friday declared Andrei Zvyagintsev, a recognized film director who has repeatedly criticized Russia's war in Ukraine, a foreign agent.

·Tallinn, Estonia
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Russia catalogued director Andrei Zvyagintsev as "foreign agent." The Ministry of Justice pursues the acclaimed filmmaker, whose films have been shown in Costa Rica.

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Center

In Russia, director Andrei Svyagintsev has been declared an enemy agent.

·Germany
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Lean Right

Moscow has included the Russian director and dissident in his list of citizens accused of engaging in anti-Russian spying activities under foreign influence.

·Paris, France
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연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency
Reposted by
korean-vibe.comkorean-vibe.com
Lean Right

(Johannesburg=Yonhap News) Correspondent Na Hak-jin = The Russian government... to film director Andrey Zvyagintsev, who made a film dealing with the war in Ukraine from a critical perspective...

·Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
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Reuters broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Friday, September 18, 2026.
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