The Poland-registered association For a Free Russia was declared an “undesirable organisation” by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday.
According to the Russian government, the association’s founders, Anastasia Sergeyeva and Maria Kharmast, “urge Russian citizens to join the volunteer battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and are prepping so-called ‘resistance groups’”.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said that Sergeyeva and Kharmast had attempted to portray themselves as part of Russia’s “repressed” civil society and accused them of orchestrating “theatrical political protests” aimed at “drawing attention to themselves and collecting money”.
According to its website, Za Wolną Rosję helps Russian citizens who have been persecuted in their homeland. It also “supports a positive image of Russians who oppose Putin’s regime, fights Russophobia, and helps unite anti-war groups of Russians in Europe.”
Under Russian law, “undesirable organisations” are foreign or international non-governmental organisations that pose a threat to the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the country’s defence capability, and national security.
