Doctors’ Alliance trade union got donations from eight foreign countries, says Russia’s Justice Ministry

Two days after designating the Doctors’ Alliance as a “foreign agent,” Russia’s Justice Ministry released information claiming that the organization received money from nationals in Singapore, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Norway, Belarus, and Ukraine. Federal officials also accused the trade union of political activity (Russia’s “foreign agent” designation applies to foreign-funded groups involved in politics) in the form of organizing rallies, mobilizing voters, recruiting minors, and trying to influence public political opinions.

Alexandra Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Doctors’ Alliance, told MBK Media that she’s unaware of any donations made by citizens of the eight countries the Justice Ministry named on Friday. “We exist on the membership fees of Russian medical professionals and the donations of Russian citizens who care about Russia’s healthcare problems,” Zakharova explained.

• The trade union’s chairperson, Anastasia Vasilyeva, is currently a suspect in a felony investigation into violations of Moscow’s pandemic safety restrictions, supposedly committed during protests in January 2021 against the imprisonment of opposition politician Alexey Navalny.