Russian parliament suggests over 30 organisations be declared ‘undesired’ and ‘extremist’, including Kovcheg and DOXA magazine

The State Duma Commission to Investigate the Facts of Interference of Foreign States in Russia’s Internal Affairs has proposed to declare the activities of 30 foreign organisations from 16 “unfriendly” countries as “undesirable” and extremist, the commission says on Telegram.

Those are organisations from Australia, Austria, the US, Hungary, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Germany, Montenegro, Czechia and Sweden.

“All those organisations are administered by governments of NATO countries and aim to undermine our country from within,” says Vasily Piskarev, the head of the commission.

Among these organisations are the Svoboda Alliance NGO (Australia), Russian America for Democracy in Russia (USA), Kovcheg ( has representatives in more than 40 countries), Danish Friends of a Democratic Russia (Denmark), Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (Lithuania), RUHelp — Russians against the war Association (Luxembourg), Free Russia NL Community (Netherlands), Human Rights House Foundation (Norway), Demokrati-Ja Movement (Germany), and Free Russia Forum (Latvia).

Piskarev claims that the Kovcheg project is raising funds to equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine and supply drones for the Ukrainian army and recruits “anti-Russian Russians who are outside of Russia.”

“Earlier, these structures specialised in provoking riots and separatism in Russia, interfering in elections and promoting drugs, involving teenagers in destructive activities, using various technologies to discredit Russia, and, since February, they have been actively involved in anti-Russian activities in the context of the special military operation in Ukraine” Piskarev said. These organisations, he claims, wish to “split the ranks of the patriotic diasporas of Russian compatriots abroad.”

Kovcheg is a support group for Russians who left the country because of the Ukraine War. Its volunteers consult refugees from Russia who “denounce military aggression against Ukraine and do not see opportunities for themselves to live in Putin’s Russia.”

Piskarev has also announced that the commission has addressed the country’s Office of Prosecutor General demanding to declare DOXA Magazine, an anti-government student magazine, an extremist organisation.

He said that the magazine “operates from Germany” and is involved in “promoting pro-Ukrainian propaganda and organising illegal protest rallies”.

DOXA’s editors left Russia for Germany this year after the Russian state persecuted them in court for “involving the underaged into dangerous activities” after the magazine posted a video saying that young people have the right to protest.