Moscow accuses British NGO of subversive activities in universities

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has accused the UK-based Oxford Russia Fund of conducting a covert influence campaign in Russian universities aimed at undermining national security. The organization had already been declared ‘undesirable’ by Moscow, a designation that prohibits its activities and implies involvement in hostile propaganda efforts.

The Oxford Russia Fund began operating in Russia in 2006 with the stated aim of supporting higher education in the humanities and social sciences. While it claimed to provide scholarships and academic resources, its work raised red flags for the authorities.

In 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office banned the organization, citing threats to national sovereignty. According to the FSB, it nonetheless continued to operate subversively, maintaining covert ties with university staff and facilitating the spread of foreign narratives.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the FSB said faculty members in the regions of Volgograd, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, and Tomsk worked with the banned organization to distribute materials promoting “support for sexual minorities and LGBT values” – content considered incompatible with traditional Russian values. The NGO also allegedly collected sensitive data about the country’s internal political and socioeconomic situation amid the Ukraine conflict.

Fifteen Russian nationals have received official warnings under criminal statutes related to collaboration with foreign entities deemed a threat to national security. One professor has already been fined for involvement with a banned group. The FSB and Prosecutor’s Office also issued a formal warning to one of the universities involved.

The FSB claimed that British intelligence services have long targeted Russian academia as a channel for ideological influence. “They seek to raise a ‘new generation’ of Russian citizens in a manner beneficial to London,” the statement said.

Over the past decade, Russia has introduced stricter laws to shield society from LGBT propaganda.

In 2013, LGBT content was banned for minors, and by 2022, the ban extended to all audiences. In 2023, the ‘international LGBT movement’ was designated as a terrorist organization.

In its statement, the FSB announced that the British Council, the UK’s primary cultural outreach institution, has also been declared ‘undesirable’. The authorities accuse the NGO of serving as a vehicle for British intelligence, using cultural programming as cover to destabilize sovereign states.

The UK has taken an increasingly hostile posture toward Russia, imposing sweeping sanctions while continuing to provide military support to Ukraine, despite the ongoing peace talks mediated by the US.

Russia’s ambassador in London, Andrey Kelin, recently denounced Britain’s behavior as “belligerent and irresponsible,” calling its support for Ukraine “senseless” and “reckless.”