Russia names US foundation first ‘undesirable’ foreign group

Russian prosecutors on Tuesday declared the US <g data-gr-id="16">Congress-funded</g> National Endowment for Democracy the first “undesirable” foreign group under a controversial new law to ban overseas organisations perceived as a threat.

“Taking into account the overall aim of the Endowment’s work, prosecutors came to the conclusion that it presents a threat to the constitutional order of Russia, its defence capabilities and state security,” the prosecutors said in a statement. Prosecutors accused the American non-profit organisation of using local NGOs to undermine elections and organise political rallies in the country. “The National Endowment for Democracy participated in work to declare the results of election campaigns illegitimate, to organise political demonstrations aimed at influencing decisions taken by state institutions and to discredit service in the Russian armed forces,” the statement said.