Russia labels star rapper a 'foreign agent': ministry

Oxxxymiron has called the Kremlin's Ukraine offensive a 'catastrophe and a crime'

MOSCOW:

Russia on Friday labelled superstar rapper Oxxxymiron, popular among young Russians, a "foreign agent", according to the interior ministry's website. Oxxxymiron, 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 used to crack down on Kremlin critics - on the ministry's website. The rapper is one of the thousands of Russians who left Russia since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine and has organised concerts in support of Ukrainian refugees from abroad.

Popular Russian science fiction writer Dmitry Glukhovsky - who also denounced the offensive and was put on a wanted list for "discrediting" the Russian army - was also labelled 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 is reminiscent 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.