Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ law now threatens rights group that survived even Soviet pressures

MOSCOW — Changes to Russia's draconian law on "foreign agents" are threatening to close some of the country's oldest rights organizations, even reversing the victories of dissidents such as Andrei Sakharov in the final years of the Soviet Union.

As the Kremlin tightens its grip, the new rules mean that anyone who posts opinions critical of authorities on social media and allegedly receives overseas donations or payments can be named a foreign agent, a term that conveys the meaning of spy or traitor in Russia.