Alexey Raksha, a former demographer for Rosstat, has been labeled as a foreign agent, becoming the 1000th individual or entity to receive this designation. The Russian Ministry of Justice updated its list of foreign agents on Friday, adding Raksha along with several other individuals and organizations.

The Ministry of Justice stated that Raksha disseminated unreliable information about the decisions and policies of the Russian government. He also participated in the creation and distribution of materials by other foreign agents and organizations deemed undesirable in Russia.

Raksha commented that this designation was expected, stating that he frequently participates in speeches and interviews and plans to leave Russia.

From 2014 to 2020, Raksha worked in the Department of Population and Health Statistics of Rosstat. His employment ended after he questioned the official statistics related to morbidity and mortality during the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent years, Raksha has acted as an independent expert in demography, often providing commentary on current events in the media. He has frequently discussed the declining birth rate in Russia, noting that March 2025 saw a record low for the average daily number of births since data collection began in the late 18th century.

Others added to the foreign agent list include writer Alexey Exler, the “Moscow Against Mobilization” project, OVD-Info co-founder Grigory Okhotin, human rights activists Alexander Cherkasov and Alexandra Polivanova from Memorial, and journalist Evgeny Feldman, who previously worked as a photo editor for Meduza.