Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, has added former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and prominent economist Sergei Guriev to its official list of extremists and terrorists, further escalating the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent.
The updated registry—which now includes 19,131 individuals and 823 organizations—is used by Russian authorities as a tool to target individuals and entities deemed hostile to the state. Those listed face severe financial restrictions, including the freezing of bank accounts.
Rosfinmonitoring, tasked with combating money laundering and terrorist financing, expanded the list significantly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Mikhail Kasyanov, who served as prime minister during the first four years of President Vladimir Putin’s rule, was dismissed in February 2004, just months before Putin secured his second term. After stepping down, Kasyanov emerged as an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. He left Russia in 2022 and publicly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine. In November 2023, he was labeled a “foreign agent” under Russian law.
Sergei Guriev, once a chief economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is currently the Dean of the London School of Economics’ Business School. Guriev fled Russia in 2013 due to political pressure after criticizing government policies.
The inclusion of high-profile names like Kasyanov and Guriev highlights the increasing use of anti-terror legislation to persecute political opponents and critics abroad.
