"Hostile action": Moscow demanded an end to the persecution of Russians in the United States

Moscow demands an immediate end to the persecution and discrimination of Russian compatriots in the United States.

This is stated in the comments of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We demand an immediate end to the persecution and discrimination of Russian compatriots in the United States, including at the household level, on national, cultural and linguistic grounds,” the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, the American authorities have practically outlawed people who represent Russian culture and everything Russian on the American continent.

“Russophobia is going through the roof and, what is even worse, it is being formalized by law and law.

The American authorities must understand that such actions will inevitably further undermine the reputation of the United States in Russian society, ”she emphasized.

In this regard, Zakharova called absurd the accusations against the chairman of the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots in the United States, Elena Branson, of illegal activities as a foreign agent in the United States, which were put forward by the American Department of Justice.

“In order for you to understand the absurdity of the accusations, I will briefly outline what the KSORS does,” said the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

- Compatriots do not act as an agent, representative or in any other capacity under the direction or control of the Russian state.

Nor do they engage in political, lobbying, or other activities listed under the US Foreign Agents Act that could influence the US government to formulate or change US policy."

Earlier, the Russian Embassy in the United States demanded an end to the persecution of Russians in the United States, and also called the accusations against Branson "outrageous and completely unfounded", and also being part of a "large-scale anti-Russian campaign that resembles a" witch hunt ".

“We demand an end to the persecution of our compatriots.

Give them the opportunity to speak fluently in their native Russian language, maintain contacts with their homeland, implement cultural and historical projects, especially those that link the glorious past of Russia and the United States, ”the Russian embassy said in a Telegram message.

It is also noted that the position of the Russian Federation on egregious cases of oppression of compatriots was repeatedly brought to the attention of the authorities of the United States.

“However, officials continue to ignore calls to provide the community with basic rights, which are spelled out, including in the first amendment to the US Constitution.

In fact, we are talking about a gross violation of personal freedoms in a country that claims to be called a "stronghold of democracy," the Russian diplomatic department said.

The Russian embassy also stressed that they consider the persecution of Branson as a "hostile action."

“Thus, the United States is denying immigrants from Russia the right to maintain contact with their homeland, to take an active part in preserving their own cultural and linguistic heritage.

The public activity of the humanitarian orientation of our fellow citizens is absolutely open and transparent.

Information about the events they hold is published on websites and social networks,” the diplomatic department stressed.

Element of the anti-Russian campaign

Recall that on March 8, the US Department of Justice brought charges against the chairman of the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots (KSORS) in the United States.

“According to court documents, 61-year-old Elena Branson, starting at least in 2011, acted on behalf of the Russian government and Russian officials in order to advance Russian interests in the United States,” the US Department of Justice said in a statement. “In violation of the requirements, Branson never notified (about this.

) the US Attorney General, including through registration in accordance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Branson is accused of coordinating the "I Love Russia" campaign in the United States, and also organized youth forums within the framework of the CRF to "promote the history and culture of Russia among young Americans."

• US Department of Justice

• AP

• © Nicholas Kamm

"Branson has used the KSOR website to distribute messages from the Russian embassy and also organized under the auspices of the council events approved by the Russian ambassador to the United States," the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

It is also indicated that the KSORS website was intended to disseminate information "on the activities of organizations created by Russian compatriots in order to form a positive image of Russia and Moscow among Americans."

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that Branson's "advertising and information activities, including the I Love Russia campaign aimed at American youth," allegedly illustrates the attempts of the head of the CCORS "to act on orders from the Russian government in order to illegally promote its interests in USA".

“Especially in light of current global events, the need to identify and stop attempts at foreign influence is critical, and the Southern District of New York is proud to be doing its part in the fight against tyranny,” Williams was quoted as saying by the press service of the US Department of Justice.

In turn, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen from the Department of Homeland Security of the US Department of Justice also spoke about the charge brought by Branson.

• New York

• AP

• © Ted Shaffrey

“Branson was allegedly involved in a wide-ranging influence and lobbying effort that included receiving funding and direction from the Russian government, but deliberately kept the American people in the dark,” he said.

The assistant attorney general also stressed that the US Department of Justice "will continue to expose these serious crimes and shed light on malicious foreign influence."

At the same time, a ministry press release states that any indictment, as in the case of Branson, “is just an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until the contrary is conclusively proven in court.”

It is also noted that the FBI interrogated Branson in September 2020, then she stated that Russian officials never asked her to arrange any meetings between major American businessmen or politicians and representatives of the Russian authorities.

The US Department of Justice also reports that Branson moved from the United States to Russia in 2020 "and remains at large."

In total, charges were brought against the head of the KSORS on six counts, on which she could face up to 35 years in prison.

The New York branch of the FBI is investigating the Branson case.

Recall that the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots is an informal and non-political advisory body that worked on a voluntary basis and provided advisory and informational support to Russian compatriots.

It should be noted that in addition to programs to promote the Russian language and preserve the Russian cultural and historical heritage, the council also provided assistance to Russian-speaking children.

In November last year, the KSORS announced the suspension of its activities in the United States in connection with "an investigation by American intelligence agencies, as a result of which over the past year at least three hundred Russian compatriots in the United States, from students to pensioners, were subjected to FBI investigative measures."

As noted in the council, a number of its members and representatives of the Russian community became defendants in the investigation "on violations of laws on foreign agents."

“It is important to note that the KSORS never interfered in the domestic political agenda of the United States, did not have financial resources, did not receive or distribute any grants,” the organization’s message emphasizes.

“We believe that the current situation not only violates the rights of compatriots to maintain ties with their historical homeland, but also creates an unacceptable atmosphere of bias and distrust towards the Russian community.”

"Move arrows to an external enemy"

As the director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University Yuri Rogulev noted, accusations similar to those that are now being brought by the US Department of Justice against the head of the KSORS have previously been repeatedly brought against representatives of Russian communities and organizations that help Russians and are engaged in expanding contacts and cultural ties between the two countries. .

“The attack on such persons and structures has been going on for more than a year.

But now this campaign has intensified due to the fact that the United States even more wants to stick the image of an enemy to Russia against the backdrop of the general atmosphere of the struggle against the Russian Federation, which stands in the way of American domination, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

Rogulyov also noted that the law "On the registration of foreign agents" in the United States contains extremely vague language that allows Washington to persecute for political reasons those people who somehow maintain ties with Russia.

• Capitol

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Stephen Emlund

“There is quite a wide field for fantasies among politicians and lawyers to bring charges against an individual or legal entity for working for the Russian Federation,” the analyst believes.

According to Rogulev, when the United States primarily oppresses Russians in this way, they apply double standards.

“By proclaiming the value of personal freedoms and democracy, the United States is punishing those who begin to be friends with Russia, which has been declared an enemy in the States.

People and organizations seeking to increase ties with the Russian Federation or talk about Russian culture in the United States are considered by the American authorities as accomplices of the enemy, ”Rogulev noted.

In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with RT that Russians are being increasingly oppressed in the West, and especially in the United States.

“Citizens of Russia or immigrants from the Russian Federation living in Western countries, primarily in the United States, have begun tremendous pressure on all fronts.

And often Russians are subjected to claims just because they want to keep their roots, continue to speak their language, follow traditional values.

But now this attack on everything Russian has intensified in connection with the events in Ukraine and those actions of the Russian Federation that do not suit Washington, ”the analyst believes.

Blokhin explained that for the American authorities, Russian culture and everything connected with it is perceived as hostile.

“After all, this is the culture of a potential enemy of the United States, they themselves call Russia that in their policy documents.

And Washington is ready to fight this adversary in every possible way.

Russian culture is often attractive and appealing to foreigners.

Washington is afraid that Moscow may use this to blur the confrontational spirit that the US authorities will so diligently create, ”the expert said.

At the same time, the United States itself is accustomed to "talking to the world with ultimatums", imposing its principles, values ​​and interests, Blokhin noted.

“Declarations of democracy in the United States, which in fact does not exist in the States and in which fewer and fewer people believe, are just Washington’s tool to mask its geopolitical goals,” the analyst believes.

And in order to implement these tasks, the American authorities need to demonize Russia as much as possible and bring Russophobia to even greater proportions, Blokhin said.

“For this, the topics of foreign agents, allegedly Russia’s influence on US domestic policy, will be even more actively promoted,” the expert said.

According to Blokhin, the United States is now very profitable from such a "witch hunt", which, according to him, has reached a qualitatively new level.

As the analyst emphasized, Washington is trying to distract Americans from problems within the country, where gasoline is still becoming more expensive, including due to anti-Russian sanctions, inflation is growing and social problems persist.

“Whatever happens in the United States, the Russians are to blame, but not the American government.

When a country has a huge number of internal problems, the most primitive and simple thing to do is to switch the arrows to an external enemy, that is, to Russia, which Washington is doing, ”concluded the analyst.