Russia declares Greenpeace an 'undesirable organization'

Russia on Friday declared the environmental group Greenpeace an "undesirable organization." The designation criminalizes the work of organizations that bear the brand and puts employees at risk of criminal prosecution.

The "undesirable" or "foreign agent" labels have been applied to dozens of foreign NGOs in Russia since the classifications first came into use in 2015.

"Undesirable" is the stronger designation of the two, leading to an effective ban in the country rather than closer monitoring by authorities.

What is Greenpease accused of?

In a statement, The Office of the General Prosecutor said Greenpeace posed "a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security" of the country, as the group had tried to "interfere in the internal affairs of the state."

Since the start of Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, Greenpeace activists have been engaged in "anti-Russian propaganda" and called for Russia's economic isolation, the statement said.

Greenpeace's efforts have been "aimed at destabilizing the socio-political situation and attempting to change power in the country in an unconstitutional way," the Office of the General Prosecutor said.

"The environmental activities of Greenpeace are in fact accompanied by the active promotion of a political position, attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the state and are aimed at undermining its economic foundations," the statement said.

Greenpeace voices its opposition to decision

"This decision makes it illegal for any Greenpeace activity to continue in Russia. Therefore, the Russian branch of Greenpeace is forced to close," Greenpease said in a statement voicing its categorical opposition to the decision. 

"If you think about this decision, it turns out that it is undesirable to protect nature in Russia," the organization said. "By destroying Greenpeace for being critical of environmental issues, the country loses one of its leading experts in solving environmental problems."

Emerging from the anti-nuclear and counterculture movement of the late 1960s, Greenpeace is one of the largest and best-known environmental organizations in the world, operating in over 50 countries, including Russia.

Russia had already launched criminal proceedings against Greenpeace activists in 2013 when they tried to scale an offshore oil platform in the Arctic Ocean, which belonged to state energy giant Gazprom, in protest against Arctic oil production.

In that incident, Russian security services boarded the group's Dutch-registered boat Arctic Sunrise and took the 30-strong crew into custody, where they were investigated for piracy.

Suppression of freedoms in Russia

A year after Moscow's attack on Ukraine, authorities are taking the suppression of freedoms in Russia to unprecedented levels.

Independent media and human rights groups are being shut down, and most key opposition figures are behind bars or in exile. 

The Russian government has also branded dozens of other NGOs as well as independent media and individuals as "foreign agents." 

In March, the justice ministry labelled the World Wildlife Fund a "foreign agent." This label has Soviet-era connotations and has been widely used against Kremlin critics.

dh/msh (AFP, Reuters, dpa)