MOSCOW, June 16 Allow foreign interference states in the internal affairs of Russia through international environmental organizations is impossible, said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Victoria Abramchenko.
“I have great respect for activists, but when these are foreign organizations that receive grants from Western countries and through this agenda they try to politicize their activities and interfere in the internal affairs of our country, this cannot be allowed,” Abramchenko said.
Deputy Prime Minister believes that in Russia it is necessary to develop «our own» non-governmental environmental organizations so that the «voice of the public» is «brightly» represented.
In March, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation entered WWF* Russia into the register of foreign agents. According to the decision of the department, representatives of the organization «under the guise of protecting nature and the environment» tried to influence the decisions of the authorities and impede the implementation of industrial and infrastructure projects.
In May, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation recognized the activities of Greenpeace in Russia as undesirable. The department believes that the work of the organization is accompanied by attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the country. Later, the Ministry of Justice of Russia included the organization in the list of those recognized as undesirable on the territory of the state.
* An organization that performs the functions of a foreign agent.