Russia labels Pussy Riot member, others as ‘foreign agents’

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have designated a member of the Pussy Riot punk group, a satirist and an art collector as “foreign agents” as part of efforts to stifle dissent. The Justice Ministry on Thursday applied the label to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. She is a Pussy Riot member who became widely known for taking part in a 2012 protest inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral after which she spent nearly two years in prison. Journalist and satirist Viktor Shenderovich and art collector Marat Gelman were also handed the label along with several other people. The “foreign agent” label implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit recipients.