Russia's Justice Ministry on Friday placed Zemfira, one of post-Soviet Russia's most popular singers, on a list of foreign agents on grounds that she supported Ukraine and criticised Russia's "special military operation" in that country.
Tass news agency quoted a ministry statement as saying that Zemfira, whose full name is Zemfira Ramazanova, "openly supported Ukraine, held concerts in unfriendly countries while speaking against the special military operation and received support from foreign sources".
Zemfira, an ethnic Volga Tatar born in the central Russian region of Bashkortostan, began performing in 1998 and gained popularity in Russia and other ex-Soviet states. She was known to oppose the conflict with Ukraine and for a time, her website featured the slogan "No to war".
