September 05, 2024

Where Is the Foreign Agent?


Where Is the Foreign Agent?
Man showing politician Elvira Vikhareva's picture in a supermarket. Elvira Vikhareva, Facebook.

Moscow opposition politician Elvira Vikhareva recently announced on Facebook that strange men were stalking her, asking for information on her whereabouts in the supermarket near her house. Vikhareva is notorious for her opposition to the Kremlin and for pushing opposition figures to run in elections.

Vikhareva publicly opposed Russia's War on Ukraine since it began. As a result, in April 2022, someone attached a sign to her door that read, "She supports the Ukrainian Nazis." In April 2023, she was declared a foreign agent. Yet she still announced her intention to run for the Moscow Duma and invited others with her legal status to become candidates. Shortly after, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that forbade foreign agents from standing for election.

On August 31, Vikhareva posted on Facebook security camera footage from a local supermarket of a blue-suited man showing her picture to the cashier and shoppers. According to the politician, the man asked people about "when I come, when I leave, how often they see me, and if they see me at all."

Vikhareva also reported that strange men call her neighbors via the building intercom, saying they have a package from France for the politician. She said she never ordered anything nor is she expecting anything. Vikhareva wrote, "The 'courier' hangs around the windows all day." Days earlier, the dissident received multiple messages offering free dog food if she met with the unknown person face to face.

In March 2023, SOTA reported that Vikhareva was poisoned with heavy metal salts. In December 2022 and February 2023, high levels of potassium dichromate, a highly carcinogenic substance, were found in her blood. Vikhareva's deteriorating health caused her to stop showing up in public, as the poisoning had affected her appearance.

In her latest Facebook post, Vikhareva wrote, "And I also remind you that I don't do drugs (...), I do not drink alcohol, I do not expect any 'guests'." She ended her message with, "If someone wants to ruin my life or the life of my loved ones, it will not go down quietly. I guarantee it."

You Might Also Like

Fulbright Foreign Agents?
  • June 20, 2024

Fulbright Foreign Agents?

Now that Fulbright has been declared an "undesirable organization," what will happen with its current and former Russian researchers?
The Path to Foreign Agenthood
  • June 01, 2024

The Path to Foreign Agenthood

A grassroots organization fighting for the rights of mobilized soldiers has been declared a foreign agent.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955