Explainer: Why Media ‘Foreign Agents’ In Russia And The U.S. Are Not The Same Thing

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has found a new reason for Russia’s controversial “foreign agent” regulations – the United States’ own such restrictions, she claims. In a May 13 briefing, Zakharova stated that Russian requirements for “foreign agents” are a response to similar such requirements in the U.S. We examined Zakharova’s remarks to pinpoint where the differences lie between the two countries’ “foreign agent” laws.