International non-governmental organization “Doctors Without Borders” has ceased its operations in russia. In August, “Doctors Without Borders” received a letter from the russian Ministry of Justice stating that their Russian branch would be removed from the register of branches and representative offices of foreign non-governmental organizations and demanding the closure of their Russian office.
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The formal reason for this decision was that the Russian authorities deemed the branch’s activities as not compliant with its statute.
“Doctors Without Borders” had been operating in russia for 32 years. In collaboration with the russian Ministry of Health, the organization implemented its programs in regions such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Ivanovo, and Kemerovo Oblasts, as well as in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan. Their main activities included the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis, HIV, and other infectious diseases, as well as working with at-risk groups, including migrants.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, “Doctors Without Borders” provided medical and humanitarian assistance to refugees from Ukraine and to russians displaced to safer regions within russia from border areas.
