Published June 2026

On June 9, 2026, the Russian State Duma approved a federal law amending various legislative acts affecting the regulation of “foreign agents” (FAs) (the amendments). The amendments tighten state oversight of people and organizations designated as FAs, modifying laws on banking, mass media, advertising, mandatory requirements, and control over the activities of persons “under foreign influence.” The amendments also increase the Ministry of Justice’s access to financial information, extend advertising restrictions to social advertising, facilitate oversight and inspections, and change procedures for registry inclusion, reporting, and removal.

This brief summarizes the key provisions and potential implications for civil society actors, media outlets, and individuals or organizations designated, or at risk of designation, as FAs.

Key changes include:

Read the amendment text (In russian)

1. Requiring banks to provide information about transactions, accounts, and deposits

The amendments require credit organizations to provide information about the financial and economic activity of FAs within three working days after receiving a request by authorized state bodies. The form of such request and the procedure for its submission, as well as the form and procedure for credit institutions to respond to such request, will be determined by subsequent legislation. When a request concerns certificates on transactions, accounts, or deposits, credit organizations must respond within three working days of receiving an electronic request.

These changes provide the authorities with a faster and more standardized mechanism to monitor the finances of FAs. It may increase potential risks for donors, counterparties, business partners, and personal financial activity connected to Russian bank accounts or assets.

2. Extending advertising restrictions to social advertising

The law amends legislation on mass media and advertising to add “social advertising” to existing restrictions. FAs may not act as advertisers of social advertising, and social advertising may not be disseminated through their information resources.

This expands the restrictions beyond commercial advertising and may prevent designated organizations and media projects from hosting or commissioning public-interest messages, including humanitarian, health, civic, or other non-commercial campaigns.

3. Weakening procedural protections against inspections and mandatory requirements

The amendments add FA legislation to the list of areas excluded from Russia’s general Law on Mandatory Requirements. This means that FA-related obligations would not be subject to that law’s ordinary safeguards concerning the adoption, review, predictability, and time limits of mandatory requirements. In practice, this may give authorities greater flexibility to impose and enforce FA-related requirements, including through oversight measures and administrative liability, without the regulatory checks that apply to many other mandatory requirements.

4. Changing registry, reporting, and removal procedures

If an application for inclusion in the FA registry violates the prescribed procedure or form, or contains false information, the authorized body must return it within ten working days with notice of the identified violations.

The amendments also restrict repeated applications for removal from the registry. As a general rule, if authorities refuse removal, an applicant can file again only after one year. The law also moves reporting further toward electronic submission, while allowing certain notices about unchanged information to be submitted in free form.

Conclusion

Overall, the amendments tighten the existing FA regulatory framework by expanding financial surveillance, limiting public interest communications, reducing procedural safeguards, and restricting opportunities for removal from the FA registry.

Once the amendments are signed into law, most provisions will take effect upon official publication, although the social advertising amendments and certain electronic reporting provisions will take effect on September 1, 2026. The banking and financial information provisions will take effect 180 days after official publication.