Russia’s General Prosecutor declared the activities of the “Human Rights Foundation” based in New York as an “undesirable organization.”

The head of the foundation is Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Putin, who died in a Siberian prison in February 2024.

Russia’s General Prosecutor accuses the non-governmental organization of seeking to “discredit” the actions of the Russian army through its activities and of helping U.S. officials in carrying out and developing sanctions against Moscow.

Under Russian laws, designating an organization as “undesirable” effectively criminalizes its activities on the country’s territory, and prohibits any cooperation, financial transactions, or reposting of its content and materials, placing individuals linked to it at risk of severe penalties and criminal prosecution.

Yulia Navalnaya, who was appointed head of this international foundation in early 2024 after the death of her husband, had previously also been pursued in absentia by Moscow courts on charges of participation in extremist organizations.