The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has declared the group of Mongolian activists #NOWAR an “undesirable organisation”

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has added a group of anti-war activists from Mongolia called #NOWAR (”#НЕТВОЙНЕ”) to its list of “undesirable organisations.” This is stated on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

According to the claim by Vladimir Rodionov, Director of the Eastern Institute at Buryat State University, the anti-war movement is led by Democratic Party member Erdeniyn Odbayar.

Rodionov noted that from the very first days of the war in Ukraine, the Democratic Party of Mongolia took a stand “condemning Russia,” and reportedly, some members of the party “openly go to the US Embassy, showing a list of Mongolian citizens who are allegedly involved in financing the special military operation.”

“As the son of the Democratic Party’s chairperson S. Erdene [most likely referring to Sodnomzunduin Erdene], [Erdeniyn Odbayar] appeared at some protest actions in 2021, in particular at the No naadam action—against holding the ‘Naadam’ [a major festival celebrated during the traditional Mongolian holiday featuring sporting competitions among men] during Covid-related restrictions, and at No double standard, where he criticised the Mongolian People’s Party for the abuse of power and was detained by the police,” Vladimir Rodionov said.

In May 2023, the independent outlet Meduza published a piece about the anti-war groups #NoDoubleStandard and #NoWar, which regularly organise protests in Mongolia.

“One of the most striking anti-war actions took place in September 2022. Residents of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, wrote #NOWAR on a billboard opposite the Russian embassy. The police said they had begun searching for suspects in the alleged vandalism, but provided no further details. For participating in one of the anti-war rallies at the end of 2022, five activists from the #NoDoubleStandard movement received sentences ranging from 1.2 years to two months of freedom restrictions. The court found them guilty of disobeying the demands of law enforcement officers,” the publication noted.

In February 2023, the news portal Planeta Mongoliya reported that Erdeniyn Odbayar and other members of democratic organisations called for the demolition of the Georgy Zhukov monument in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.