Due to the new laws, the program for victims of Nazism was closed in Penza

Due to the tightening of laws in Penza, the “Children of the War” charity program, which helped victims of Nazism, was closed. The program was financed by the German fund “Memory. Responsibility. Future”. It lasted for 10 years, and about 1,500 elderly people, whose childhood was affected by the Second World War, participated in it.

As Oleg Sharypkov, director of the charitable organization “Civil Union” told the edition “Govorit Nemoskva”, he was forced to close the program, since according to the new laws, legal entities are prohibited from cooperating with foreign NGOs not registered in the special register of the Ministry of Justice, and the continuation of cooperation would threaten the “Civil Union “criminal prosecution. In 2019, the Civil Union was included in the register of so-called foreign agents, also partly due to the receipt of foreign grants.

Since 2013, the German foundation has allocated 20,000 euros per hour to the Children of War program. With this money, the “Civil Union” held regular meetings for the elderly, clubs, lectures and excursions, paid taxis for people with reduced mobility.

The program covered people who lost their parents during the Second World War, lived in occupied territories or participated in forced labor.