Russia declares WWF ‘undesirable organisation’

Russia’s Office of Prosecutor General has declared the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) an “‘undesirable organisation”, the agency announced on Telegram.

“In fact, the so-called environmental protection and environmental education activities under the leadership of UK national N[eville] Isdell are used by WWF as a cover for the implementation of projects that create threats to security in the economic sphere,” the agency says in its statement.

The Office of Prosecutor General believes that WWF is conducting “activities aimed at obstructing the implementation of the [Russia’s] political course for the industrial development of the Arctic.”

The says that the fund formed “a network of organisations to collect information on the environmental situation in Russia’s regions in the context of large industrial complexes and prepare ‘independent’ biassed assessments aimed at shackling the economic development of the Russian Federation."

The agency’s statement also says that WWF has formed a rating of environmental responsibility for Russian companies in various areas in accordance with subjective standards and criteria.

The statement also notes that the fund provided support to “foreign agents” organisations such as The Friends of the Baltic, The Sakhalin Environment Watch, and other organisations whose members were charged for participating in rallies, which “indicates interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.”

On 19 May, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office pronounced Greenpeace to be an “undesirable” organisation. According to the Russian state body, the organisation “presents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation” and “is trying to interfere with implementation of infrastructure and energy projects beneficial to the country”.

In response, Greenpeace announced it was closing its Russian branch.