MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved legislation expanding the scope of a law that allows foreign-funded organizations to be declared “undesirable,” a designation that blocks their work in the country.
The measure has passed its final reading in the Duma. It now goes to the Upper House and then to President Vladimir Putin become law. It adds the criterion to an existing law that an organization can be declared undesirable if foreign government agencies have established it or participate in it.
The original law was passed in 2015, but its use has increased dramatically since then. Russia deployed troops to Ukraine in February 2022 and cracked down on criticism of the military and government. More than 175 organizations are now on the list of undesirables, including the English-language online newspaper The Moscow Times, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Greenpeace International, as well as lesser-known groups such as the Wild Salmon Center.
The criteria for being classified as undesirable are broad and focus on organizations that are seen as a threat to the country.
Russia has also a separate law under which organizations that receive foreign funding can be designated as “foreign agents” and must publish that status on their materials. The designation seems designed to undermine trust in the groups.