Prominent science foundation Dynasty — which has helped finance the research projects of many young academics — decided Sunday to shut its doors, according to a concise one-sentence statement published Wednesday on its website.
The closure came in the aftermath of a decision by Russian authorities in May to order Dynasty Foundation to register as a “foreign agent.” Under Russian law, NGOs that receive funding from abroad and engage in loosely defined "political activities" can be declared foreign agents.
Being labeled as such does not require an organization to close. However, foreign agents must openly display their status, and are subjected to heightened government scrutiny, which could be damaging to some organizations, as the loaded term is widely associated with espionage.
Russian national Dmitry Zimin, the organization's founder, has claimed that the “foreign funding” Dynasty was accused of accepting were actually funds from his personal bank accounts, which he kept abroad.
In June, media outlets began buzzing with rumors that the foundation was on the verge of shutting down after a Moscow court ordered Dynasty to pay a 300,000 ruble ($5,600) fine for refusing to accept the label by registering as a foreign agent.
Citing an unnamed source at the foundation, the Kommersant newspaper claimed that by June 18 all the necessary paperwork for the liquidation had been carried out.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed regret over Dynasty's decision to shut its doors, emphasizing that being on the list of foreign agents did not preclude organizations from continuing to function.
"We are sorry that the foundation's management decided to liquidate it," he was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying Wednesday.
by via The Moscow Times News
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