A Russian activist says he has been labelled a ‘foreign agent’ by the Kremlin after he posted a selfie at a screening of the film Barbie.
Nikita Kirillov is currently living in exile in Finland.
The 38-year-old first found himself being targeted by the Russian authorities after vocally opposing the war in Ukraine, he said.
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Nikita was elected as an independent councillor in his home city Saint Petersburg, but had to flee Russia while still in the post.
He told Need To Know: “I assisted residents with environmental issues, urban infrastructure problems, and cases of inaction or abuse by officials.
“One separate focus of my work was environmental protection in the Russian Arctic.
“I organised expeditions to clean remote Arctic territories of waste and fuel residues left behind after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“In 2019, I ran in the local elections in Saint Petersburg as an independent candidate.
“I was elected as a municipal deputy thanks to strong public support, including backing from Alexei Navalny’s Smart Voting project.
“After being elected, I also became editor-in-chief of a municipal newspaper.
“This allowed me to publish uncensored material exposing corruption, abuses by officials, and systemic problems in Russia.”
Nikita soon found himself being targeted by the Kremlin after opposing the war in Ukraine.
He explained: “After 2022, being an opposition deputy and journalist became even more dangerous due to increased repression and censorship.
“I had always publicly opposed the war and the annexation of Crimea, and despite the risks, I continued my work.
“Because I completed two years of compulsory military service when I was younger, I realised this could be used by my opponents to get rid of me, as people with military experience were among the first to be drafted.
“I urgently packed my belongings and entered Finland on 22 September.
“I chose Finland because I already had a valid visa and the Finnish border is close to Saint Petersburg.
“In early October, I learned that police officers had come to my registered address in Russia three times.
“They questioned my neighbours, and left a draft notice on my door ordering me to report to the military enlistment office.
“In Finland, I had to apply for asylum to remain in the country legally after my visa expired, as returning to Russia would have been too dangerous.
“After a year of waiting, I was granted asylum in Finland.
“Meanwhile, a targeted campaign of pressure began against me in Russia.
“In 2024, I was stripped of my mandate as a municipal deputy ahead of term.
“Prior to that, I had been taking part in council meetings online.
“At the same time, an organised smear campaign against me began in pro-government media.”
He added: “They started using my personal photos from social media and inventing ‘news’ stories which, in their view, could discredit me inside Russia.”
One such campaign involved a visit to his local cinema.
Nikita went to see the Barbie movie in a Finnish cinema and posed in a promotional box while wearing a pink hat.
The Russian authorities circulated the image and labelled him a ‘foreign agent’.
Media outlets even used offensive slurs to paint him as an extremist.
Nikita explained: “The photo was taken jokingly in a promotional box at the cinema screening of Barbie, but was then circulated on TV and in propaganda outlets.
“The stories were accompanied by offensive and derogatory labels such as ‘Barbie Warrior’, ‘Chukhna Traitor’, a derogatory ethnic slur, and ‘trans-khokhol’, a transphobic and anti-Ukrainian slur, among others.
“I believe that the practice of labelling people as ‘foreign agents’ is extremely alarming.
“It is one of the tools used to pressure dissenting voices as part of a broader wave of repressive laws adopted by Vladimir Putin’s government.
“In today’s Russia, there are a large number of political prisoners, and many people who fought for democracy have been forced to leave the country under threat of persecution.
“The very status of a ‘foreign agent’ effectively paralyses any activity: a person cannot work normally, their actions are severely restricted, and any publications must be accompanied by special disclaimers informing the audience of their status.
“I was added to Russia’s ‘foreign agents’ register on 21 June 2024.
“In the same year, I received my first administrative fine for allegedly failing to comply with the requirements imposed on so-called foreign agents, followed by two additional fines in 2025.
“Under Russian law, a series of such fines typically leads to the initiation of a criminal case, however, at present I do not know if such a case has been opened against me.”
Despite his exile, Nikita said he continues to support his Russian constituents online.
“At present, I continue to support people in Saint Petersburg remotely, including my former constituents,” he said.
“I provide legal advice and assistance on housing and public service issues, environmental protection, animal welfare, and in cases involving abuse or inaction by officials.”
He added: “I have to do it anonymously because those individuals could face serious consequences if the authorities learned that I was helping them due to my designation as a ‘foreign agent’.”
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