US accuses Russia of ‘undermining civil society’

According to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, US Ambassador to the Russian Federation Michael McFaul has met with Russian officials in recent days to give them a piece of American mind concerning the police raids on offices of non-governmental organizations across Russia.

He reportedly likened the developments to an incipient ‘witch hunt’ and accused the Russian authorities of undermining civil society.
A total of 2,000 NGOs have been raided to check their compliance with a recent law obliging foreign fund recipients to register as ‘foreign agents’. Some of these NGOs are also suspected of espousing extremism and evading taxes.

President Putin has instructed officials to make sure that the checks are carried out in accordance with the law.