Russia bans 2 Swedish orgs

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Swedish Institute (SI) must immediately stop their activities in Russia, reported Xinhua.

Johannes Danielsson, Swedish charge d'affaires ad interim in Russia, was summoned on Tuesday and informed about the termination of activities of the two Swedish state organizations in Russia, the ministry said in a statement.

If the Swedish diplomatic and consular offices continue to promote the projects of the SIDA and the SI, their staff members will be expelled, the statement said.

The two Swedish organizations are involved in implementing the "Strategy for Sweden's support for democracy, human rights and the environment in Russia 2020-2024," according to the Russian ministry.

The projects of the SIDA and the SI in Russia "do not meet the stated goals of promoting the development of bilateral humanitarian and environmental cooperation, but focus on efforts to destabilize the Russian society," the ministry said.