Russia lists World Wildlife Fund, others as foreign agents

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Friday added the World Wildlife Fund to its register of foreign agents, along with a prominent Kremlin critic, a renowned economist and a few others.

Russian law requires individuals and organizations that are determined to have received foreign funding and to have engaged in loosely defined "political activity" to identify themselves as “foreign agents.”

The label brings additional government scrutiny. It also carries a strong pejorative connotation in Russia. Authorities have used the law to discredit those listed and to stifle dissent.

The World Wildlife Fund, which is headquartered in Washington, is a conservation group with projects throughout the world, including in Russia.