Russian President Vladimir Putin has enacted a law that blocks foreign agents from placing advertisements on behalf of individuals and organizations. The decision was published on Russia’s official portal for legal proceedings, signaling a formal tightening of rules around who can promote content in the public sphere.
The new legislation explicitly states that the advertiser and the distributor of such advertisements will be held accountable for any violations. This means that both the party funding and the intermediary responsible for dissemination face potential penalties if the ads do not meet the established regulatory requirements.
Last week, the Federation Council reviewed and advanced a bill designed to ban foreign agents from advertising on behalf of both private individuals and legal entities. Under the latest provisions, the prohibition extends beyond promoting content on the information resources controlled by foreign agents to include restrictions on advertising the information resources themselves when they are controlled by foreign interests. This broadens the scope of enforcement and aims to curb indirect promotional activity linked to foreign agents.
The bill makes advertisers and advertising distributors jointly liable for any breaches of the new rules. It also introduces amendments to the Mass Media Law, strengthening prohibitions on placing advertisements and content from foreign agents on media platforms and online sources. The changes are intended to ensure that media channels do not serve as vehicles for foreign influence through advertising that originates from agents outside the country’s jurisdiction.
Previously, discussions in the State Duma highlighted proposals to restrict lending activities tied to foreign agencies, reflecting a broader strategy to limit financial interactions that could support foreign-backed advertising initiatives. The evolving framework underscores a commitment to regulating information flows and financial links that could influence domestic public discourse and opinion formation.