Kremlin Goes After Russians Abroad Who Criticize Putin’s War

  • Foreign Ministry targets celebrities and artists who speak out
  • Hundreds of thousands fled Russia since war in Ukraine began
Egor Bortnik, right and Aleksandr Uman of Bi-2 onstage in Portugal in 2023.Photographer: Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Russia is turning its sights on prominent anti-war critics of President Vladimir Putin who’ve fled abroad, following the Kremlin’s unprecedented crackdown on domestic opponents of his invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow has told its diplomats to pursue Russian artists and celebrities who speak out against Putin and in support of Ukraine from so-called “friendly” countries that have avoided taking sides over the war, according to two people familiar with the matter.