MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Russia will begin to take practical steps in respect of the US mass media in response to the harassment of Russian media in that country next week, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"I think that our patience that is nearly run out will take some legal shape. I don’t rule out it will be done next week," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel. "As of today, there is understanding that a practical phase of these response measures (in respect of US media in Russia over demands the RT broadcaster register itself as a foreign agent in the US - TASS) will begin next week."

Earlier, the US Department of Justice demanded that the US branch of the Russian television broadcaster RT should have itself registered as a foreign agent before November 13. Otherwise the bank accounts of the RT’s branch in the United States may be frozen and its chief put under arrest.

Earlier on Thursday, RT Managing Director Alexey Nikolov said at a meeting of the Provisional Commission of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) on Information Policy and Media Interaction that he had not registered as a foreign agent in the US within the period of time set by the US authorities.

RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said later that RT was forced to agree to be registered as a foreign agent as otherwise it would have no possibility to operate in the United States.