Russia Bans John McCain NGO

The International Republican Institute NGO headed by US Senator John McCain has been recognized as an undesirable organization by Russian prosecutors. They say the group is threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and state security and have banned the group’s operations in the country and forbidden any Russian organizations or citizens from cooperating with it. RT reports: “After studying the received files [describing the activities of the International Republican Institute], the Prosecutor General’s Office has made the decision to recognize it as an undesirable group on the territory of the Russian Federation,” reads an official statement from prosecutors, released on Thursday. Another US organization, the Media Development Investment Fund, was also recognized as undesirable. Prosecutors added that they had established that the work of the two groups posed a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and state security, but gave no further details. The International Republican Institute was founded in 1983 with the declared goal of the promotion of democracy worldwide through helping political parties in foreign countries. Since 1993 the institute has been headed by John McCain – a Republican senator for Arizona known for his numerous anti-Russian initiatives and statements. In early 2015 Russia [...]