Russia on Monday declared the main group defending LGBTQ rights a “foreign agent” on Monday, as part of a continuing crackdown on media outlets and rights groups. The ministry also declared several lawyers close to the Russian opposition “foreign agents.” The Russian LGBT Network, which was set up in 2006 and operates in several regions, was entered in the justice ministry’s register of foreign agents, which already includes journalists, lawyers and activists. The group provides legal assistance and support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families, according to its website. It also carries out educational campaigns and collects evidence of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In February, the group denounced the arrest of two Chechen men who were subsequently deported back to Chechnya.