NEWSWATCH Deutsche Welle: Russia less-than-charitable toward charities.
Deutsche Welle covers governmental threats to charitable activities in Russia, including the saga of Dynasty and “foreign agent” labeling.
… A law that calls those who receive funds from outside the country ‘foreign agents,’ an economic downturn that’s seen the market contract by 10 percent with no end in sight … sanctions that have seen the value of the ruble plummet to … anywhere between 25-50 percent of its former value … a dangerous combination if you’re a charity, as Dmitry Zimin, the founder of one of Russia’s largest telecommunications companies has found.
… in 2002 he started a foundation called Dynasty which supported science students and projects. His belief was that Russia’s strength and future lay in the sciences and he put his considerable wealth where his mouth was and this year was set to dedicate some 435 million rubles (7 million euros) to supporting projects in that sphere. But, he made a mistake. He kept his funds off shore and has now found himself in rough seas: labelled a foreign agent.