The bill, if passed into law, would force non-Russian media outlets operating on Russian soil to register as 'foreign agents'.
ADVERTISEMENTRussia’s Federation Council has approved a bill allowing the authorities to list non-Russian media operating in the country as ‘foreign agents’, local news outlets report.
The move by the upper house of parliament follows Washington’s demand for Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT to do the same in the US after intelligence agencies accused Moscow of interfering in the 2016 US election.
Moscow said it regarded the request as an unfriendly act. President Vladimir Putin threatened to respond in kind and claimed the measures were restricting freedom of speech.
The leader’s signature is needed for the bill to become law.