The Russian Justice Ministry has added the Paris-based Andrei Sakharov Institute to its list of “undesirable” organizations, banning its activities in Russia.
Founded by human rights advocate Lev Ponomarev after he fled Russia in 2022, the Sakharov Institute describes its mission as “supporting Russian civil society under conditions of repression,” “assistance to Russian political refugees and deserters,” and “creating a platform for expert discussion on ending the war, reducing the nuclear threat, uniting the forces of Russian civil society and building the foundations of a strong democracy in Russia.”
At the same time, the Justice Ministry also banned “Peace. Progress. Human Rights,” a civil movement likewise founded by Ponomarev in honor of Soviet physicist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov. The movement emerged from an anti-war petition launched by Ponomarev on the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which garnered over a million signatures. Its stated goal is “to find ways to stop the war as soon as possible and begin building a sustainable democracy in Russia.”
