Russia Restricts 'Foreign Agent' Media, Cutting Off Advertising Income – JP

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Russian authorities have found a new way to restrict independent media outlets and journalists that aren’t loyal to the Kremlin, with a law that will make it illegal to pay for advertising with “foreign agents” — both individuals and organizations. Advertising is an important revenue source for many Russian media projects that have been labeled foreign agents. Some active media outlets with audiences in the millions have already been forced to shut down or suspend operations as their income has dried up, reported Russian independent news outlet The Bell.

Individual journalists, public figures and anti-war activists are regularly added to the list of foreign agents, which keeps growing and now stands at more than 700 entries.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced the latest measures at the start of February, claiming that lawmakers had “received many queries” about why Russian companies were continuing to place adverts on the websites of foreign agents. In under three weeks the bill has swept through the lower house of parliament and will now go to the Federation Council for approval before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. There is no doubt it will sail through this process.