The Ministry of Justice named the number of foreign agents who left Russia.

Half of the foreign agents do not live in Russia, Deputy Justice Minister Oleg Sviridenko said on May 19 at the session of the XIII St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPIEF) "Institute of a Foreign Agent. World Experience", which was broadcast on the event's website.

Of the 579 individuals recognized as foreign agents, more than 250 are abroad, he noted.

According to Sviridenko, previously leaving the Russian Federation was an obstacle to bringing foreign agents to administrative and criminal responsibility, but now the law allows for judicial proceedings without the participation of the defendants who left the country.

"They can run, they can run away, but we will still initiate such criminal cases and there will be criminal sentences," said the deputy head of the Ministry of Justice.

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Also during the SPIEF session on May 19, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, explained the meaning of introducing the status of a foreign agent in Russia. According to her, this is a mirror measure, as well as a way to protect the sovereignty of the country.