Russia has designated Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA) as foreign agents, a move aimed at complicating their work in retaliation for what Moscow says is unacceptable US pressure on Russian media.

Key points: US government had put Russian state broadcaster RT on foreign agent registry in November

US government had put Russian state broadcaster RT on foreign agent registry in November Russian action against VOA and RFE/RL is in direct retaliation to the move

Russian action against VOA and RFE/RL is in direct retaliation to the move The US-backed media agencies will be subject to strict rules and spot checks

The classification against the US media outlets is part of the fallout from allegations that the Kremlin interfered in the US presidential election last year in favour of Donald Trump.

Russian politicians rushed through the necessary legislation last month and President Vladimir Putin signed off on the measures on November 25.

Russia's justice ministry said in a statement on its website that it was now formally designating the US government-sponsored stations, along with seven separate Russian or local-language news outlets run by RFE/RL, as "fulfilling the role of foreign agents."

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The new designation means the outlets will be subject to the same requirements that are applied to foreign-funded non-governmental organisations under a 2012 law.

Under that law, the agents must include a mention of their 'foreign agent' designation in any information they publish or broadcast to Russian audiences.

They also must apply for inclusion in a government register, submit regular reports on their sources of funding, on their objectives, on how they spend their money, and who their managers are.

They can be subject to spot checks by the authorities to make sure they comply with the rules, according to the 2012 law, which has forced some NGOs to close.

Of the seven other outlets, one provides news on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, one on Siberia, and one on the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region.

Another covers provincial Russia, one is an online TV station, another covers the mostly Muslim region of Tatarstan, and the other is a news portal that fact-checks the statements of Russian officials.

The US probe into Russian interference in the US election targeted former Trump campaign team member Michael Flynn at the weekend, after the first charges were filed in October.

Russia's Kremlin-funded RT TV station was registered with the US Justice Department last month as a foreign agent, following a demand from Washington.

Reuters/AP