Interfax: Kudrin concerned about expansion of “fake” NGOs created by authorities

MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) – The authorities prefer to work with the non-governmental organizations (NGO) they themselves create, Head of the Committee for Civil Initiatives Alexei Kudrin said.

“I understand the topic of the so-called ‘fake’ NGOs, when the authorities create quasi NGOs passing those for NGOs and real public opinion. Today we are virtually faced with the practice when the authorities prefer to work with them,” Kudrin said at a news conference in Moscow on Monday.

The practice of NGO selection for the coming all-Russia civil forum has shown that it concerns utterly different organizations, not the ones established by the authorities, Kudrin said.

“So it goes that we have spread the word and have decided to go from the bottom – from the organizations themselves. These are completely different organizations, not the ones being created by the authorities. Minimal crossing,” Kudrin said.

The topic of the so-called “fake” NGOs will be discussed at the all-Russian civil forum in Moscow on November 23.