Russia declares top journo and vlogger ‘foreign agents’

Russia has declared a prominent journalist, a video blogger and six other media figures "foreign agents", the latest in a series of such moves that critics say are designed to stifle dissent. The expanded list, published by the Justice Ministry late on Friday, included Elizaveta Osetinskaya, former editor-in-chief of several Russian business newspapers that published disclosures about the commercial interests of people close to President Vladimir Putin. It also included Evgeny Ponasenkov, a writer and video blogger. The term "foreign agent" carries negative Soviet-era connotations and subjects those listed to stringent financial reporting requirements.