Daria Kasatkina has shrugged off a recent attempt made by a Russian politician to have her blacklister in her home country.
Roman Teryushkov, who is currently serving as a member of the 8th State Duma, confirmed in an interview with RB Sport that he sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice requesting that the tennis star be added to the list of ‘foreign agents.’ Under Russian law, those who are classed as a foreign agent are subjected to strict labelling and auditing requirements. They are also banned from state funding, teaching at state universities or working with children, as well as having their websites blocked without a court order. The law was expanded in December amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The reason why Teryushkov wants Kasatkina on the list is linked to an interview she conducted earlier this year with a Russian vlogger. In it, she spoke openly about her views regarding the war in Ukraine, admitted that she might consider changing allegiance if it helped her professional career and became one of the most high-profile Russian athletes in history to come out as gay.
“Using your fame as a tool to influence others on issues of politics or ideology, you need to be prepared not only to receive preferences from the customer, but also to measures of responsibility from the state,” said Teryushkov.
“Kasatkina, (Karen) Khachanov, (Yevgeny) Kafelnikov openly criticize the actions of the Russian authorities, permanently residing outside the territory of the Russian Federation, acting in a neutral status [without the Russian flag and anthem], demonstrating to the whole world distancing themselves from the NWO and Russian society. Their actions fall under the law on foreign agents.” He added.
Despite the appeal, it failed to have any impact on Kasatkina who is supported by many in her home country, including the president of the Russian Tennis Federation. (Note: rt.com is not accessible in some countries)
“Kasatkina, I have submitted an appeal to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to include her in the list of foreign agents. The department responded with a formal reply, expressing disinterest in stopping the illegal actions of the tennis player. In turn, I re-sent a deputy request to check the legality of such a response and take appropriate measures,” Teryushkov continued.
It is not the first time the lawmaker has chosen to specifically single out Kasatkina. In September he criticized the decision to award the tennis star the Honored Master of Sports medal for her performance in tennis. In a rant on Telegram, he accused Kasatkina of promoting ‘LGBT propaganda’ in Russia. The country recently passed a law expanding their anti-gay laws to ban the positive portrayals of gay relationships in books, films, the media and the Internet, regardless of age.
As for Kasatkina’s response, she appears not at all bothered by the efforts being made by Teryushkov.
“How nice to have fans from the State Duma 🥰,” she wrote on her telegram channel.
Kasatkina is currently Russia’s highest-ranked women’s player at No.8 in the world. This year she has won two Tour titles and reached the semi-finals of the French Open.
