Do not read non -impaid newspapers

The Federation Council proposes to oblige foreign Russian-speaking and financial Russian media to report on the Law on Foreign Agents and block their sites in case of refusal to cooperate with the authorities. This was reported by TASS with reference to the head of the Commission of the Council for the Protection of State Sovereignty and the prevention of interference in the internal affairs of Russia Andrei Klimov.

According to Klimov, the media that are registered abroad, but "have an audience in Russia" will have to "disclose their sources of financing at the request of the Ministry of Justice and report on their activities in accordance with the Law on Foreign Agents."

Klimov noted that those publications that refuse to fulfill new norms will be blocked by Roskomnadzor.

Senators also propose to give the Ministry of Justice the authority to find out the sources of financing Russian media. If the publication see “sources of foreign financing and (signs. - Ed.) Activities in the interests of a foreign state,” then he will be obliged to register and report as an “agent”.

Klimov said that the senators prepared proposals based on the results of the closed meeting of the commission to combat Western influence.

Press Secretary of President Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov said that the details are still unknown, "it is difficult to evaluate the initiative" on the blocking of foreign media. Peskov emphasized that the proposals of the senators are "subject to the most serious study through all departments", and "so far talk about some single position in this regard prematurely."

The head of the Moscow Journalists, Pavel Gusev, said that he considers the proposal of senators part of the campaign against network publications. "As far as I understand, a certain campaign will unfold against the Internet media now, and their positions will be toughened," Gusev said. He called the initiative "self-promotion and PR of certain senators or deputies," but he suggested that behind it "there is one of the power structures."

Meanwhile, Russian media are already obliged to notify Roskomnadzor of receiving funds from abroad under the law adopted at the end of 2015 . The publications should report on the receipt of funds in the amount of more than 15 thousand rubles at a time from a foreign state, international and foreign organizations, NPOs - "foreign agents", foreign citizens, as well as from Russian organizations established by foreigners.

This is the first public initiative of the Sofuda Commission to combat Western influence. On June 6, Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Upper Chamber’s International Affairs Committee, stated the possible creation of such a commission . According to Kosachev, the commission is created in connection with the "very active and consistent attempts of" Western countries to influence future presidential elections.