Businessman Potapenko, Vot Tak project designated foreign agents - Russian Justice Ministry

MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) - Businessman Dmitry Potapenko and the Vot Tak news website have been placed on the list of foreign agents, the Russian Justice Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"Potapenko, [Maxim] Trudolyubov, and the Vot Tak project were included in the register of foreign agents on January 26, 2024, in accordance with directives of the Russian Justice Ministry," the statement said.

"Potapenko participated as a respondent on information platforms made available by foreign agents and foreign media outlets, [and] spread misinformation about the decisions and policies of Russian public authorities. He was involved in creating and disseminating the messages and material of foreign agents among an unlimited number of people," it said.

"Vot Tak spread misinformation about the decisions and policies of Russian public authorities [and] was involved in creating and disseminating the messages and material of foreign agents among an unlimited number of people. It spoke out against the special military operation in Ukraine. The project's founder is a foreign media corporation," it said.

Trudolyubov, who has left Russia, "collaborated with organizations included in the list of foreign and international nongovernmental organizations designated undesirable in the Russian Federation, [and] spoke out against the special military operation in Ukraine," it said.