WWF Russia drops panda logo, severs ties with international office

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Russia has announced termination of its cooperation with WWF via its social media profiles.

The Russian organisation, which has been an independent entity since 2014, will forgo the WWF abbreviation and the panda logo. The decision was made after the Russian authorities designated the international organisation as “undesirable” in the country.

In a statement, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office claimed that WWF is conducting “activities aimed at obstructing the implementation of the [Russia’s] political course for the industrial development of the Arctic”.

According to the agency, the fund formed “a network of organisations to collect information on the environmental situation in Russian regions in the context of large industrial complexes and prepare ‘independent’ biassed assessments aimed at shackling the economic development of Russia”.

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

WWF was placed on the “foreign agent” list in March.

In May, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office slapped Greenpeace with the “undesirable organisation” label. This development prompted Greenpeace’s Russia branch to shut down.

“We categorically oppose the decision made by the Prosecutor General’s Office. This decision makes continuation of any Greenpeace activities in Russia illegal. Therefore, the Russian branch of Greenpeace is forced to close down,” the statement reads.