According to the Ministry of Justice, the Apologia Human Rights Organization and the Memorial Historical and Educational Society transferred funds to Viktor Vorobyov, the Communist Party's head in the Komi State Council. They are included in the register of foreign agents. In addition, he received a refund for a ticket in the UK. Viktor Vorobyov reported this to 7x7.
The agency informed Viktor Vorobyov that he had been included in the register of foreign media agents for the transfers he had received from other foreign media agents. Apologia transferred 20 thousand rubles to the deputy, Memorial transferred 70 thousand rubles for legal assistance.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice recognized 2 thousand rubles from the UK as a source of foreign funding. The communist explained that the "financing" from the UK was a refund of 25 pounds for a train ticket in London. The Ministry of Justice added that the deputy had received funds from Novye Regionalnye Media (‘new regional media’) that were not labeled as foreign agents.
As the deputy told 7x7, the Ministry of Justice recognized him as a media outlet and included him in the list on April 1, because he operates social networks and posts publications there.
Opposition member Viktor Vorobyov often pursued initiatives that deputies from Komi did not support. For example, he proposed amending the Constitution of the republic and broadening the parliament’s mandate so that he would have the opportunity to express distrust of members of the government from the State Council. But the deputy's initiative was taken off the table.
After the special operation started in Ukraine, Vorobyov recorded a video and criticized the decision of the Russian authorities. The leaders of the deputy party associations of the Komi State Council called on the Communist Party to remove the deputy from the post of the faction’s head. The Commission on Regulations and Parliamentary Ethics denied his right to speak at two parliament's meetings.
After Vorobyov was labeled as a foreign agent, the deputies of the Komi State Council proposed filing a draft with the State Duma in order to prohibit foreign agents from taking government jobs.
