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Russian President Vladimir Putin Signs Bill Targeting US and Foreign Media

The move comes as the U.S. Justice Department has increased scrutiny and new revelations about Russia's campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 election

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill allowing Russia to register international media outlets as foreign agents — a move largely seen as retaliation against the U.S. for similar crackdowns on Kremlin-funded media outlets, NBC News reported.

Putin signed the bill into law Saturday after the upper chamber of the Russian parliament adopted it Wednesday. The move is seen as a quid pro quo after U.S. officials demanded that state-media outlet Russia Today, or RT, register as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department.

In a statement posted to the embassy's Facebook page, officials accused the U.S. of deliberately hurting the U.S.-Russia relations: "We consider its demand as a wish to eliminate an alternative source of information, which is an unacceptable violation of the international norms of free press."

The DOJ's decision to force the network to register as a Russian agent comes amid increased scrutiny and new revelations about Russia's campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

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