ISTANBUL

The National Historical Heritage Protection Fund sent a document to the Russian State Duma calling for the confiscation of the property of foreign agents and turning it into state revenue, state media reported early Tuesday.

The document said that on Russia's territory "and beyond its borders there are media persons, as well as citizens with the status of a foreign agent, who, due to their personal convictions or for a monetary reward coming from foreign special services, allow themselves to speak negatively and falsely about the actions" of the Russian army "or openly call for internal unrest, criticizing the decisions" taken by Moscow, according to the state news agency TASS.

The document also said this violates “the principles of national security and the principles of social justice,” noting that many Russian citizens support the initiative to amend the country’s criminal code to allow the confiscation of foreign agents’ property.

"Measures to seize property from foreign agents and citizens caught in activities aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or disseminating information that undermines the foundations security should help maintain a common opinion in society regarding the strategy of political development," head of the National Historical Heritage Protection Fund Alexander Karabanov said.

According to Karabanov, the implementation of the initiative will become "an effective filter against rash actions" against those whose opinion is influenced by Western media or "opinion leaders" working in the interests of foreign intelligence services.​​​​​​​