In revenge for the misfortunes of Russia Today and Sputnik in the USA, the Kremlin has decided to hit back at American media outlets in Russia. Russia Today and Sputnik were ordered by the American authorities to accept the label of “foreign agent”, so that everyone knows what these propagandistic bodies truly represent.
It was decided to reply like for like. If you make us wear a label, then we’ll do the same to you; if you punish Russia Today and its propagandists we shall also punish journalists from Radio Liberty. If you close our offices, we shall do likewise.
The State’s countless propagandists – the Zakharovs, Simonyans and Pushkovs – were so carried away with the idea of these tit-for-tat measures that they failed to grasp that the American authorities not only have grounds for what they are doing: they are also acting within the law. We are just saying “two can play at that game”.
The concept of a “foreign agent” with regard to the media does not exist in Russian legislation. It applies to NGOs, but not to the radio or television.
