Russiahas added The Moscow Times to its list of foreign agents alongside several other journalists and activists, the Justice Ministry announced Friday.Russias foreign agents registry, launched in 2012 in response to similar legislation in the United States, has been disproportionately used to target independent journalists, activists and NGOs in recent years.The foreign agents label imposes strict financial reporting and self-disclosure requirements.The ministrys foreign agent registry lists the websites of MTs English and Russian-language editions as well as its social media pages, including on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Telegram as subject to restrictions.Russian authorities in May 2021 designatedthe foundation that at the time published The Moscow Times as a "foreign agent," forcing its closure as well as that of the independent VTimes business website.