Russia Bans Soros-Backed Foundations as Security ‘Threat’

Russian authorities have barred the pro-democracy charity network founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros from the country, saying its work undermined state security, Reuters and CNBC report.

The office of Russia’s top prosecutor said Monday that the Open Society Foundations and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation would go on a “stop list” of foreign nonprofits deemed “undesirable.” The office said the Soros groups’ activities represent “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the security of the state” but did not offer specifics.

An 85-year-old native of Hungary who built his fortune in hedge funds, Mr. Soros launched the Open Society Foundations in 1979. Initially focused in large part on helping formerly communist countries make the transition to democracy, it now operates human-rights and civil-society programs worldwide.

Mr. Soros has urged the West to increase aid to Ukraine, which is fighting Russia-backed separatists in its eastern regions. In July Russia’s parliament listed his foundation among a dozen candidates for the blacklist of foreign nonprofits established by law earlier this year. Another targeted group, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, voluntarily shuttered its Russian operations.

Read a 2011 Chronicle of Philanthropy interview with George Soros about his giving and the future of the Open Society Foundations.