Russia on Wednesday named a medical trade union with ties to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a "foreign agent," but the group vowed to continue supporting doctors and hospital workers.

The Alliance of Doctors drew attention for criticising Moscow's response to the coronavirus pandemic, accusing authorities of failing to protect medics and downplaying the severity of the outbreak.

It is headed by Anastasia Vasilyeva, who is Navalny's personal doctor and was filmed playing a Beethoven piano score when police searched her home in January.

Her organisation on Wednesday was designated a "foreign agent," the justice ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.

The term carries negative connotations of unpatriotic behaviour in Russia and requires branded organisations to label their paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of staffing and financing.

The ministry accused the trade union of receiving "foreign funding" and involvement in "political" activism.

Vasilyeva, an eye specialist by training, was detained in January for attending a protest demanding Navalny's release.

Alongside other Navalny allies, she was charged with violating virus restrictions and was unable to comment on the designation while awaiting trial.

Established in 2018, the Alliance of Doctors sounded the alarm over shortages of protective gear and testing kits for medics at the beginning of the pandemic and said officials were downplaying deaths of health workers.

Alexandra Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Doctors, said that the trade union -- which operates in 42 Russian regions -- does not receive foreign funding.

She also said the group would continue its work despite the designation.

"A lot of doctors are in a tough situation so we are planning to continue helping them," she told AFP.

Russia adopted the legislation in 2012 that applies to NGOs that receive funding from abroad. It has subsequently been expanded to include media and individuals.

Many NGOs branded foreign agents have shuttered, saying the measure made it too difficult for them to operate.

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