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

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

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.

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