Russia’s State Duma tightens rules for ‘foreign agents’ — adding more inspections and banning social advertising

Russia’s State Duma passed a law tightening state oversight of people and organizations designated as “foreign agents” in Russia, approving it in both the second and third readings in a single session.

What the adopted amendments say:

• Banks will be required to provide the Justice Ministry with information about the financial transactions, accounts, and deposits of “foreign agents” within three days of a request.
• Social advertising is banned from the websites and platforms of “foreign agents,” who are also prohibited from commissioning it. Previously, the ban applied only to commercial advertising.
• If authorities refuse to remove a “foreign agent” from the registry, that person or organization may not reapply until a year after the refusal. This does not apply to individuals being added to the registry for the first time.
• “Foreign agents” will be required to submit reports to the Justice Ministry electronically rather than on paper, as is currently the case. The human rights project Department One notes that lawmakers still required one reporting form to be submitted in paper form.
• “Foreign agents” have been stripped of the protections afforded by the law on mandatory requirements, which shields businesses, organizations, and individuals from surprise inspections and excessive government demands. Inspecting “foreign agents” will now be easier, Department One concludes.

As of 2026, more than 1,200 individuals and organizations have been added to Russia’s “foreign agents” list. According to OVD-Info, 178 individuals and 37 organizations were designated in 2025 alone.

According to Russia’s deputy justice minister Oleg Sviridenko, only 4% of those designated as “foreign agents” in 2025 were found to have received foreign funding. Since 2022, a law in Russia has allowed authorities to label anyone a “foreign agent” for being “under foreign influence,” even without receiving foreign funding.