Russian lawmakers bar US media from accessing parliament

Moscow [Russia], December 6 (ANI): Russian lawmakers have voted to ban the US media designated as "foreign agents" from accessing the lower house of parliament in the latest tit-for-tat between both the countries over government-funded media outlets.

"To impose a ban on visiting the State Duma by representatives of US media outlets recognized as foreign mass media performing the functions of a foreign agent," the Russian news agency TASS reported, citing a document as saying.

The order will come into force immediately after signing by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

The lower chamber also proposed regional legislative assemblies to take similar decisions.

This comes a day after the Kremlin has designated nine US-funded media outlets as "foreign agents", including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America (VOA).

Other media outlets include congressionally-funded Cold War-era outlets that partly broadcast in Russian, as well as seven outlets controlled by them that mostly focus on specific regions like Crimea and the North Caucasus, the report said.

By law, the nine media organisations listed by the Russian justice ministry will have to brand their output as the work of "foreign agents" - and disclose their source of funding.

The move is in retaliation for the US justice department ordering the Russian channels RT and Sputnik to register as foreign agents there.

The US has accused RT, formerly known as Russia Today, of being a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin. (ANI)