The Federal Law improves the legal regulation of the institute of foreign agents, in particular, by consolidating the provisions of federal laws regulating the status of foreign agents, specifically the federal laws On Non-Governmental Organisations, On Public Associations, and On Measures Against Individuals Complicit in the Violation of Fundamental Human Rights and the Freedoms of the Citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as the Law of the Russian Federation On Mass Media.
The Federal Law provides definition of notions relating to the institute of foreign agents, stipulates the procedure for maintaining the register of foreign agents and adding persons to it, as well as setting out the formal elements for the designation of the status of foreign agent.
Thus, it reads that a foreign agent is a person who receives support and/or is operating under other forms of foreign influence, who deliberately collects information about the military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation, who distributes messages and materials among the general public and/or contributes to creating such messages and materials, or who is involved in other types of activities mentioned in the Federal Law.
In order to inform the citizens of the Russian Federation about organisations and individuals with foreign agent status, information from the register of foreign agents will be published online on the official website of the authorised agency.
The register of foreign agents can include Russian and foreign legal entities regardless of the category of incorporation, unincorporated public associations, any other association of individuals, unincorporated foreign organisations, as well as private individuals regardless of citizenship or absence thereof.
The Federal Law stipulates that foreign agents must inform their personnel of this status, mark accordingly the output produced in the process of their activities in relation to which they received foreign agent status, as well notify the public authorities to which they apply about their status.