Member of Russian demobilisation campaign group sacked over ‘foreign agent’ status

A leading member of Russian demobilisation campaign group The Way Home has been fired from her job in Moscow due to her “foreign agent” status, she announced on Monday.

As one of the most outspoken members of the pressure group and someone who directly blamed Vladimir Putin for the war and urged the Russian authorities to cease hostilities in Ukraine immediately, Maria Andreyeva faced public scrutiny which culminated in Russia’s Justice Ministry declaring her a “foreign agent” in May, a label it also applied to The Way Home group itself.

Andreyeva told independent news outlet Mediazona that she worked at a children’s psychoneurology centre in Moscow and that she would be on paid leave until her contract expires in late November. “Foreign agents aren’t just disenfranchised, they’re deprived of their livelihoods,” she wrote.

Along with other members of The Way Home group, Andreyeva organised several protests demanding the return of mobilised Russian soldiers forced to serve indefinitely in Ukraine since they were drafted almost two years ago.

The group’s manifesto describes its members as determined to bring their men “back home at all costs”.

Widely seen as a tool for political persecution and intimidation, the “foreign agent” label can be applied to anyone the Russian government decides is subject to foreign influence. Anyone deemed to be a “foreign agent” is subject to various financial and professional restrictions.