Russia Bans U.S. Environmental Group

The Justice Ministry in Russia has added a U.S. environmental lobby group, Pacific Environment, to a list of banned organisations on Tuesday evening after prosecutors last week said it posed a threat to state security.

This would be the 15th foreign group to fall foul of legislation brought in under President Vladimir Putin four years ago.

The San Francisco-based group, which could not immediately be reached for comment, campaigns with local partners to protect the environment in Siberia and the Far East from fossil fuel extraction, mining and illegal logging, according to its website.

Rights and other lobby groups that receive foreign funding have come under pressure in Russia since Putin signed into law legislation in 2015, banning “undesirable” organizations from operating in the country.

Relations between the U. S. and Russia are at post-Cold War lows and were buffeted this week by a new round of U.S. sanctions that came into effect on Monday.