Russia curbs foreign media ownership

The Russian parliament’s lower house has approved a Bill restricting foreign ownership in Russian media to 20%.

The Kremlin-controlled State Duma voted by 430-2 to pass the measure, which has been seen as a move to further stifle media freedom.

The Bill needs to be approved by the upper house and signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin to become law – steps considered to be a mere formality.

Many of Russia’s top media outlets, including the Vedomosti business daily and the Russian Forbes magazine, have foreign ownership.

The Bill’s supporters said limitations on foreigners’ ownership of the Russian media were necessary in the face of what they described as an “information war” waged against Russia by the West over the Ukrainian crisis.