Russia bans Germany-based Russian Election Monitor as ‘undesirable’ organization

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has added the Russian Election Monitor (REM), a Germany-based initiative that provides data and expert analyses of elections in Russia, to its list of “undesirable” organizations, banning it from operating on Russian territory.

The decision was announced on Thursday by the Russian State Duma’s Commission on the Investigation of Foreign Interference, which said it was responsible for requesting the designation in the first place.

“REM came to the commission’s attention during past election campaigns due to its discreditation of the Russian electoral system,” reads the announcement. The commission also accused the initiative of spreading “disinformation” about the war in Ukraine.