A criminal case was opened in absentia against film critic Anton Dolin for violating the law on “foreign agents.”

A criminal case in absentia has been opened against film critic and former editor-in-chief of the journal “Iskusstvo Kino,” Anton Dolin, for failing to comply with the requirements imposed on “foreign agents.” This was reported by the Moscow branch of the Investigative Committee, as noted by the outlet Mediazona.

The reason for the case against Dolin is unknown. The Investigative Committee claims he had “repeatedly evaded fulfilling obligations stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation on foreign agents” (Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

The authorities are also considering placing the film critic on a wanted list.

Film critic Anton Dolin, who collaborates with the “undesirable” media outlet Meduza, left Russia in March 2022, saying his departure was due to his anti-war stance.

The Ministry of Justice added Dolin to the “foreign agents” register on 14 October 2022. In February 2023, a court refused to remove him from the register. Since then, he has been fined twice—40,000 and 30,000 rubles (about US$440 and US$330) for failing to label posts as being from a “foreign agent,” as required (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code).

The film critic has also been fined under an article concerning participation in the activity of an “undesirable” organisation (Part 1 of Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code). The reason was an obituary for People’s Artist of Russia Aleksandr Shirvindt, which Dolin wrote for Meduza.