Russia aims to tighten ‘foreign agents’ law

The lower house of Russia’s parliament has given initial approval to a bill further tightening the country’s laws against “foreign agents”, at a time when President Vladimir Putin has warned the Russian people to look out for “traitors”.

Russia’s first law on foreign agents was adopted in 2012. It has since been expanded to include non-profit organisations, media outlets, and individual Russian citizens including journalists and activists.

The bill, passed on Tuesday by 346 votes to 17 at its first of three readings, states that any person who receives financial or any other kind of support from abroad can be designated a foreign agent.

The law reflects a climate of hostility and distrust of the West that has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, leading to Moscow being hit by a wave of Western sanctions.

In a speech to the State Duma the bill’s co-author, Andrei Lugovoy, accused various unnamed Russian public figures of having received “special training” in the United Kingdom, which he accused of seeking to destroy Russia from within.

“What tasks are they set? What papers do they sign? We need to look into this in detail,” Lugovoy said.

The bill also introduces a new category of “persons affiliated with a foreign agent”. Lugovoy previously said this category could include relatives of foreign agents or others who helped them carry out their activities.

The “foreign agent” term, which carries Cold War connotations of espionage, is used by Russia as a hostile label for people and organisations it deems to be engaging in political activity with foreign support.