MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. The law designating media outlets as foreign agents, passed by the State Duma on Wednesday, will allow Russia’s authorities to immediately and symmetrically respond to the encroachment on the freedom of Russian media abroad, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Any encroachment on the freedom of Russian media abroad is not and won’t be left without a strong condemnation and a tit-for-tat response of Moscow," Peskov said, adding that the law will enable Russia to give a timely response.

Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, passed in the third and final reading a law on designating media outlets as foreign agents if they receive funding from abroad. The law will enter into force after it is endorsed by the upper house, the Federation Council, and is signed by the president.

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 measure was a response to the demand of the US Department of Justice to RT America, a US branch of the Russian television company, to register as a foreign agent.