Putin's justice ministry declares Barents Observer journalist Olesia Krivtsova a 'foreign agent'
The journalist, who from before is on the Kremlin's 'terrorist list,' was on Friday declared so-called 'foreign agent.'
The Russian Justice Ministry on August 29 added Olesia Krivtsova to its list of so-called 'foreign agents.'
According to the ministry, Krivtsova has "spread false information about decisions made by public authorities of the Russian Federation, as well as false information aimed at creating a negative image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."
Furthermore, she "cooperates with an organisation included in the list of foreign and international organisations whose activities are recognised as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation and resides outside the Russian Federation," the ministry reports.
Krivtsova does not intend to comply with any of the demands requested by Russian authorities.
"Nothing will change for me in my work. I am not going to comply with any demands from the Ministry of Justice. I consider the Russian authorities to be terrorists. And I do not comply with the demands of terrorists," says Krivtsova.
The journalist is the second reporter in the Barents Obsever that is on Russia's so-called agent list. Georgii Chentemirov was included in the list in March 2023, few months after he came to Norway and started working for the Barents Observer.
The bilingual Norwegian newspaper was in February 2025 branded by the Russian Prosecutor General as so-called "undesirable."
Olesia is from before on Russia's so-called 'terrorist list.'
She came to Norway in summer 2023 and started working for the Barents Observer. Few months earlier, she had fled house arrest in Russia and made it to Lithuania via Belarus.
The 22 years old faced charges of “discrediting the Russian armed forces” and “justifying terrorism” after posting her anti-war position on social media and putting up flyers in Arkhangelsk after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
When safe in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, she posted a video on Telegram showing her removal of the electronic tracking bracelet from her leg, throwing it away and showing a “Freedom” sign.
The Russian justice ministry's foreign agent list now includes more than 1,000 individuals.
