MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. American affiliation of RT channel has obtained registration as a foreign agent in the US, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said on Monday.

"Faced with a choice between a criminal case and registration, we opted for the latter," a report on RT homepage quoted her. "Our greetings to free speech in the US and to those who still believe in it"

The US Department of Justice issued a demand to RT America, a subsidiary of the Moscow-based RT channel, to register as a foreign agent until November 13.

Simonyan said in a comment on the situation the channel had very strong objections to the demands of this kind but will it was compelled to agree because it would not be able to operate in the US otherwise.

On November 10, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin gave instructions to appropriate committees of the State Duma lower house of parliament to draft a symmetric legislative response to the actions of the US Department of Justice. He said the Duma might consider a mirror-like in the first reading on November 15 and in the final reading on November 17.

However, Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy said on Monday the house might pass the bill in the final reading already on Wednesday, November 15.