“We express concern over the hasty approval by the Russian parliament of another bill on“ foreign agents, ”which can be used to suppress independent votes,” Morgan Ortagus, the agency’s official spokeswoman wrote on Twitter.
The United States also called on Russia to abide by its “commitment to freedom of expression.”
On November 25, the Federation Council approved a law according to which individuals can be recognized as foreign individuals who distribute media materials - foreign agents, and also receive funds from abroad or from Russian legal entities financed from foreign sources.
Leonid Levin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, said in an interview with RT that this law is a response to the actions of other states in relation to the Russian media.
At the same time, the law does not imply a “universal entry into foreign agents ... all who receive money for their work from abroad”.
Parliamentarian Yevgeny Fedorov said in an interview with the FAN that the law would limit foreign interference in Russia's internal affairs.