This Friday, the Russian Ministry of Justice classified popular musician Semyon Slepakov, one of its most successful comedians, as a “foreign agent” for his criticism of the Kremlin and the invasion of Ukraine.
Slepakov created a “negative opinion” about military service and the work of state employees, the minister said in a statement.
In addition, he received support from “foreign sources” and criticism from Russian citizens, which led him to be included in the register of foreign agents, along with numerous opponents, activists, journalists and non-governmental organizations.
Slepakov, who emigrated to Israel, became famous for songs full of sarcasm and social criticism, in particular about Kremlin politics, songs interpreted with a guitar in hand, which gained tens of millions of views on Youtube.