The Federal Law is aimed at improving the legal regulation of activities of so-called foreign agents.
For these purposes, the Federal Law makes amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation that:
introduce a concept of an unregistered public association acting as a foreign agent, and create a mechanism to monitor the activities of such associations;
clarify the definition of a non-profit organisation acting as a foreign agent, and in relation to that, introduce the concept of an intermediary in receiving funds and (or) other assets;
adjust the requirements concerning checks and inspections of non-profit organisations;
introduce the concept of an individual acting as a foreign agent and create a mechanism to monitor the activities of such individuals;
introduce requirements for mandatory labelling of foreign agents’ material, as well as prohibit the distribution of such material through the media without appropriate labelling;
introduce a ban on access for individuals acting as foreign agents to state secrets and their appointment to positions in state bodies and local self-government bodies.
These changes will contribute to making foreign agents’ activities more transparent. This, in turn, will also reduce the negative influence of foreign states and international organisations on the Russian political system and public opinion.