MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Washington has allocated more than 300 million dollars this year to support non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the CIS countries, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council Alexey Shevtsov said in an interview with the government-published daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
As Shevtsov pointed out, "under the guise of cultural, humanitarian and social activities, NGOs funded by Western special services are engaged in shaking loose the institutions of power."
"Huge funds have always been spent on this, and today’s situation is no exception. The budget of the EU's global program for human rights and democracy for 2021-2027 is 1.5 billion euros. In 2023 alone, more than $300 million dollars was allocated for "supporting democracy" in the CIS countries through the US Agency for International Development (USAID)," Shevtsov said.
He noted that "by no means everything is reflected in the official statistics."
Funds go through various channels, including international organizations, large NGOs, and foundations, "such as Soros's Open Society (the foundation of financier George Soros, recognized as an undesirable organization in Russia)." As Shevtsov pointed out, these organizations "exert targeted influence on public opinion, tastes and preferences and carry out political and economic lobbying," as well as collect personal data and interfere in the work of law enforcement agencies.
At the same time, he noted that "the Westerners, especially Anglo-Saxons, zealously guard this instrument of their external influence."
"Whenever any country in the world takes steps to strengthen control of NGO activities, a massive and well-orchestrated campaign is launched of accusations over alleged suppression of 'harmless civil society’," Shevtsov added. As an example, he cited recent events in Georgia, "when its leadership tried to adopt a law on regulating the activities of foreign agents, after which large-scale riots were staged in the country."
"I would like to emphasize that both in the United States and in the European countries legal norms strictly regulating the activities of foreign NGOs are not only in force, but are also strictly observed. In the United States, for example, foreign agents are obliged to submit a detailed report on their work every six months. For unauthorized activities and other violations those responsible can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to five years," Shevtsov stressed.