The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation announced fines up to 500 thousand for "aiding foreign agents"

In the near future, the Russian authorities will begin to apply fines in size of up to 500 thousand rubles in relation to persons who distribute the materials of the so -called foreign agents without appropriate marking. This was stated on Thursday by Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia Oleg Sviridenko. His words are given by TASS.

The official emphasized that we are talking not for the fines themselves, which are also fined for the absence of designations in their materials that they are included in the register of "foreign agents", but for third parties. "These are ordinary people who deliberately or unintentionally help or support somehow foreign agents," the deputy minister said. As an example, he gave a hypothetical television channel that will show the plot with the participation of "Mr. Galkin" (obviously, this refers to the artist Maxim Galkin, the spouse of Alla Pugacheva. - RS), without saying that he is "foreign agent". The Ministry of Justice, according to the minister, will send warnings, "and if there is no response within a month, then 300-500 thousand are a fine for the first time." “Then we can reach the further development of this institute,” Sviridenko said.

According to him, fines will begin to be appointed after the Ministry of Justice’s order and the corresponding government decree were signed at the end of November.

• According to Sviridenko, the fines he called will relate to "libraries, books, universities, television." He did not directly say whether this practice would apply to ordinary citizens. From the text of the current Law on Control over persons “under foreign influence” adopted in 2022, with the amendments that entered into force in August of this year, it follows that the so -called aiding “Inoagent” is punishable by a fine - up to 500 thousand rubles for legal entities and up to 50 thousand rubles for citizens. The law does not directly say whether the “complicity of the“ dissemination of the materials of the “inoagent” ”refers to the“ complication ”without indicating its status. However, from the words of the deputy minister it follows that in the near future a decree will be released, which will interpret the norm of the law that way.
• The legislation on foreign agents in Russia appeared in 2012. The law allowed the Ministry of Justice to recognize the non-profit organizations by “foreign agents” if they receive funding from abroad and are engaged in political activities. Subsequently, it became possible to recognize the media and individuals “in agents”, including those who do not receive foreign financing, but are “under foreign influence”. Among other things, “foreign agents” require a special way to label all their publications. The same requirement referred to journalists, and, based on Sviridenko’s words, the authorities will now demand his observance from other persons.