Lawmakers confirm that Russia's new foreign-agent media law will apply to some bloggers

Russia’s new law on foreign-agent mass media outlets will also apply to bloggers who accept money from foreign governments, says State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy, who co-authored the legislation.

The foreign-agent law won’t apply to bloggers who only receive money from private individuals abroad, according to Leonid Levin, who heads the Duma’s committee on information policy, though he acknowledged that the legislation itself doesn’t specify anything about funding sources. This can be worked out when the bylaws are written, he says.

Russian lawmakers are currently considering yet another law against foreign agents that would apply not just to organizations but also to ordinary individuals who “spread information” and receive money from any foreign sources.