The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has declared the activities of the international organization The British Council as undesirable within Russia. This announcement was made on the department’s website on June 5.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, while the British Council presents itself as an independent entity, it receives funding from the UK’s foreign policy department and is accountable to the British Parliament. The Prosecutor’s Office claims that the organization structures its operations in alignment with the priorities of the UK government.

Specifically, the British Council allegedly recruits graduates from the Chevening government scholarship program, which it organizes, to build a “global network of agents of British influence.” The Prosecutor General’s Office also asserts that under the guise of educational and cultural activities, including teaching English, the council promotes British interests and values in education, culture, and youth policy.

The Prosecutor General’s Office further alleges that The British Council promotes the LGBT movement, which is banned in Russia, and carries out projects aimed at discrediting the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation. They are also accused of attempting to strip the population of former Soviet republics of their Russian identity.

The statement also indicates that The British Council is part of a consortium with other undesirable organizations, implementing a program of “cultural interaction” designed to unite an anti-Russian Baltic community.