Mark Trevelyan
LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) – Nina Khrushcheva, an American academic and great-granddaughter of the former Soviet leader, was designated by Russia on Friday as a “foreign agent,” a term with espionage connotations that Moscow uses to refer to people it believes are involved in anti-Russian activities.
Khrushcheva, 62, a professor at New School University in New York, has continued research trips to Russia since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Her ancestor, Nikita Khrushchev, led the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 before being ousted by other members of the ruling Politburo.
In an interview with Reuters, Khrushcheva said she was not surprised to be included on Russia’s “foreign agents” list, which as of Friday contained 1,164 names, including politicians, journalists, artists, NGOs and media organizations.
“It would be remiss of them not to do this sooner or later,” she said, adding that it was too early to say what the actual impact would be.
Stalin’s resurgence
“It’s a historical irony, but it’s not shocking. When Stalin came to power, Khrushchev fell,” she said.
She alluded to the resurgence of the reputation in Russia of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, whose reign of terror Khrushchev had denounced in his famous speech to the 1956 Communist Party Congress.
Russia marked the 70th anniversary of the speech last month, sparking renewed debate about the pair’s legacy.
Khrushchev was the Soviet leader who transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, but that act was overturned when Russian troops invaded the peninsula in 2014 and President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of the peninsula.
Khrushchev is also remembered for his confrontation with the United States. President John F. Kennedy led the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the world was on the brink of nuclear war.
Russian news agency TASS quoted the Justice Ministry as saying that Nina Khrushcheva had spread disinformation about Russian policy and opposed Moscow’s so-called “special military operations” in Ukraine.
People classified as foreign agents are subject to onerous bureaucratic requirements and income restrictions in Russia. They are obliged to label social media posts or any other content they publish as foreign agents.
Some Kremlin critics see the label as a badge of honor, while others say it’s a burden that hinders their work because it causes other Russians to shun them.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andre Calip)
