Russia prohibits activities of the environmental NGO WWF – 06/21/2023 – Environment

Russia has classified the country’s branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as an “undesirable organization”. The measure announced this Wednesday (21), in practice, prohibits the activities of the environmentalist NGO in Russian territory.

In a statement, the attorney general’s office said the organization’s activities pose “threats to security in the economic sphere.”

The text also accuses the WWF of preparing biased assessments, preventing the implementation of the country’s policy for the industrial development of the Arctic and of “developing and legitimizing restrictions that can serve as a basis for moving the northern sea route into the exclusive economic zone of the United States”. United”.

In Russia, organizations officially classified as “undesirable” are prohibited from opening offices, carrying out projects, or disclosing information or reports, according to the specialized NGO OVD-Info. The measure also exposes WWF employees and volunteers to legal harassment.

In March, the environmental organization was already classified as a “foreign agent” by Moscow, a label that seriously compromised its activities.

Since the start of the offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities have increased repression against critics, from political opponents to the cultural sector. Last month, a similar decision was taken against Greenpeace.

Economic pressure on Russia from Western sanctions related to the conflict has also led the authorities to further marginalize environmental concerns in favor of industrial development.

In Brazil, recently, pressure against environmental groups comes from the Senate, which approved the installation of the CPI of NGOs. The idea would be to investigate allegations that public resources directed to NGOs do not reach the communities and are used to finance the entities themselves.

Until this Tuesday (20), however, the commission’s summit had approved invitations to hear authorities, including Marina Silva (Rede-SP) and Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), indigenous leaders and researchers, but almost none to the organizations non-governmental themselves.