The Dawn (Rassvet) party has been added to the foreign agents registry

The Justice Ministry added Dawn (Rassvet) to the foreign agents registry

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Justice reported that the unregistered association 'Political Party Dawn (Rassvet)' has been added to the registry of foreign agents. According to the ministry's wording, the association 'spread unreliable information about decisions made by Russian public authorities and the policies they pursue, as well as about the Russian electoral system.' This was reported by Gazeta.Ru citing the ministry's press service.

Background: denial of registration and Duntsova's status

The decision is a continuation of a long story surrounding the party. In 2023, its founder Yekaterina Duntsova applied to run in the Russian presidential election; before that she worked as a journalist, and from 2019 to 2022 she was a deputy of the Rzhev City Duma in Tver Region. On November 25, 2024, the Justice Ministry officially refused to register the party.

Duntsova's own fate

Duntsova herself was declared a foreign agent back on May 31, 2024 — according to the Justice Ministry, for spreading unreliable information aimed at forming a negative image of Russia, speaking out against the special military operation, cooperating with a public movement deemed undesirable in Russia, participating in foreign agents' projects and distributing their materials. She later called these justifications unlawful and discriminatory and decided to challenge the ministry's decision in court.

Who else was added to the list

According to the Justice Ministry, the unregistered party 'Peaceful Russia' was also added to the updated list of foreign agents. Thus, over two years, both structures associated with Dawn — the party itself and its founder — have received foreign agent status, while the party was never registered.