Two European organisations have been declared “undesirable” in Russia

The Ministry of Justice has added the European centre for strengthening democracies and an organisation defending the rights of people who use drugs to the list of “undesirable organisations.” The updated list has been published on the Ministry of Justice’s website.

Specifically, the “European Resilience Initiative Centre,” registered in Germany, has been included. According to the centre’s website, the organisation’s mission is: “to strengthen democracy in Europe and to facilitate bilateral and multilateral cooperation among European countries” (translated from English by OVD-Info).

The centre was founded by political scientist Sergey Sumlenny, who emigrated from Russia to Germany. Most of the centre’s publications focus on the war in Ukraine and counteracting Russian propaganda in the context of the conflict.

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, registered in Lithuania in 2017, has also been declared “undesirable.”

According to a statement on the organisation’s website, the association “brings together activists and organisations from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia working on harm reduction, with a mission to actively unite and support communities and civil society to ensure the rights and freedoms, health and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the region” (translated from English by OVD-Info).