Russia’s financial watchdog has added former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and leading economist Sergei Guriev to a list of “extremists and terrorists,” the latest move against prominent exiled Kremlin critics. The agency, Rosfinmonitoring, added Kasyanov and Guriev to a list that now includes 19.131 individuals and 823 organizations, according to data posted on its website, Reuters reported.
The list, which has been rapidly expanding during Russia's war against Ukraine, serves as a public tool for authorities to single out individuals and entities they believe are involved in undermining the state. Rosfinmonitoring, which is responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, can freeze the bank accounts of those on the list.
Kasyanov served as prime minister during the first four years of President Vladimir Putin's rule and was dismissed in February 2004, a few weeks before Putin was elected to a second term.
After resigning, he moved into opposition to the Kremlin. He left the country in 2022 and criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Kasyanov was previously labeled a "foreign agent" in November 2023.
Guriyev, a former chief economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and now dean of the London Business School, called on Western governments to tighten sanctions on Russia, provide advanced weapons to Ukraine and encourage a “brain drain” from Russia, Reuters reports.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON