SOCHI, October 22. /TASS/. The Kremlin is unaware of plans to expand the list of foreign media outlets acting as foreign agents, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"I do not have such information," he said when asked whether plans were in store to add The Bell publication to that list.
The Kremlin spokesman also noted that the question about applying the "foreign agent" law to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) NGO should be addressed to the Russian Ministry of Justice. When asked to comment on the decision to list the foundation as a foreign agent after funds transfer from abroad, he said, "That question has to be addressed to the Ministry of Justice. It would be wrong if I commented on that."
The Russian Ministry of Justice earlier reported that the Anti-Corruption Foundation established by Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny had been added to the list of non-profit organizations acting as foreign agents.
Under the law, NGOs placed on the list of foreign agents must report about their activity and management every six months, and about spending and using property once in three months. The organizations are also required to undergo audit every year and provide a report on their activity to the media or in the Internet every six months.
In 2019 alone, the organization received some 140,000 rubles ($2,157) from abroad in two tranches from Spain and one from the US, according to the Ministry of Justice.
According to the foundation’s director Ivan Zhdanov, it received no foreign funds and was financed solely by Russian citizens. Later on, the Anti-Corruption Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice to appeal against the decision.