MINSK, November 30. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the law designating foreign media outlets as foreign agents gives Russia an opportunity to take tit-for-tat steps, and that’s what Moscow will do.
"The law has been passed, it is a framework one. It gives us an opportunity to take tit-for-tat steps, and, as [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] said, that’s what we will do," the minister told reporters.
Foreign agent media law
On November 22, Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) approved a bill on foreign media outlets acting as foreign agents. President Vladimir Putin signed the bill into law on November 25.
The document provides the Russian government with an opportunity to designate a media outlet as a foreign agent if it receives funding from abroad. After acquiring this status, these media outlets will be subject to the restrictions and responsibilities, which are currently envisaged for non-governmental organizations labeled as foreign agents. They will also face a similar responsibility for such NGOs for breaching this legislation.
This move came in response to the demand by the US Department of Justice to RT America, a US branch of the Russian television company, to register as a foreign agent in the United States.