Russia names Oscar-winning 'Mr Nobody' film maker as a 'foreign agent'

People listed as foreign agents in Russia face strict rules and income limits

Pavel Talankin holds the Oscar as David Borenstein, Helle Faber and Alzbeta Karaskova win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film for "Mr Nobody Against Putin" during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, Mar 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Russia has designated Pavel Talankin, who secretly filmed pro-war propaganda in a school for the Oscar-winning documentary "Mr Nobody Against Putin", as a foreign agent.

Talankin's name appeared on Friday on the justice ministry's online list of foreign agents - a term with connotations of spying that Moscow applies to people deemed to be engaged in foreign-backed anti-Russian activity.

The documentary by Talankin and David Borenstein uses two years of footage that Talankin recorded at a school where he was employed in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, to show how students were exposed to pro war messaging.

It has been controversial even among Russians who oppose Putin and the war, with some criticising Talankin for filming colleagues and children without their consent for his clandestine project.

Talankin, who fled Russia in 2024, has defended the film as a record for posterity to show how "an entire generation became angry and aggressive". Accepting the Oscar earlier this month, the 35-year-old called for an end to wars.

People listed as foreign agents are subjected to onerous bureaucratic requirements and restrictions on their income in Russia. They are obliged to place the foreign agent label on social media posts or anything else they publish.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the Oscar awards that he had not seen the film and therefore could not comment on it.