Russia labels ex-foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev a 'foreign agent'; he calls it 'stupidity of regime'

Russia's justice ministry said on Friday that it has designated Andrei Kozyrev — a former foreign minister and prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin — as a "foreign agent". The Yeltsin-era minister responded to this labelling by calling it "the stupidity of the regime."

Kozyrev, 74, was the first foreign minister of post-Soviet Russia , serving under President Boris Yeltsin in the early 1990s when the country maintained relatively warm ties with the West. Now residing in the United States since 2010, Kozyrev has become an outspoken critic of Kremlin policies and Russia’s military actions in Ukraine .

In 2022, after the start of the war in Ukraine, Kozyrev publicly called on his former colleagues in the Russian foreign ministry to resign in protest.

The justice ministry accused Kozyrev of spreading false information about Russian government policies and military activities. It also cited his opposition to the war—referred to by Moscow as a "special military operation"—and his alleged collaboration “with foreign platforms.”

Responding to the move, Kozyrev dismissed the designation, saying it reflected "the stupidity of the regime."

"I am glad to join those noble people who have likewise been designated foreign agents," he added.

The "foreign agent" label, rooted in Soviet-era terminology, carries a strong stigma and requires individuals to publicly identify themselves as such in all publications and online posts. It also imposes strict financial reporting rules.

Numerous writers, journalists, and cultural figures critical of the war have faced the same designation in recent years.