Ecoorganizations of Russia asked Putin to remove WWF from “foreign agents”

Environmental organizations from different regions of Russia asked to cancel the decision to include the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the register of “foreign agents”. They addressed a letter with this request to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the head of the Ministry of Justice.

The authors of the letter call the decision to recognize WWF as a foreign agent erroneous and unfair and argue that it will have a negative impact on nature conservation in Russia. The letter also states that the decision of the Ministry of Justice undermines the important work of WWF on cooperation with authorities for environmental purposes.

Such work is especially relevant against the background of growing environmental protests and requests by “some lobbyists and unscrupulous officials” to promote initiatives that contradict Russia’s environmental interests, the authors of the letter note.

During the 28 years of work of WWF in Russia, the fund implemented more than 1,500 field projects, supported the creation and expansion of more than 145 specially protected natural territories on an area of ​​more than 72 million hectares, the letter says.

The request to cancel the decision to recognize WWF as a foreign agent has already been supported by 62 environmental organizations in Russia – from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.

• The Ministry of Justice of Russia added the World Wildlife Fund to the register of “foreign agents” in March 2022. The fund reported that it will seek to cancel the status of “foreign agent” through the court.
• The Russian authorities can declare anyone who is under “foreign influence” a foreign agent, the definition of which is very vague in the law. “Foreign agents” are prohibited from teaching in state institutions, organizing public events, serving in the army under contract, and being members of election commissions.