The Russian government designated GW as an “undesirable” organization Monday, barring the University and affiliated community members from the country after government officials deemed GW promotes anti-Russian sentiment and spreads false claims about the war in Ukraine.
A press release from the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office states it designated GW as a threat to the country because the University’s Russia Program creates a platform for speeches and reports aimed at “discrediting” Russia, including about the war the country launched in Ukraine in 2022. The designation makes GW one of four U.S. colleges and universities that Russia has deemed undesirable since it adopted the policy in 2015, which prohibits foreign organizations designated as undesirable from operating in Russia and carries up to six years in jail for anyone involved in their activities.
University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said GW learned through news reports that Russian officials added the University to their undesirable organizations list, adding that officials are reviewing the situation and will assess any impacts to academics, research and programs.
Russia has increased its use of the undesirable law since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, mainly targeting foreign news and non-governmental organizations, though the list includes Brigham Young University, Yale University and Bard College.
A spokesperson for Russia’s U.S. Embassy did not return a request for comment on how the General Prosecutor reached its conclusions or if it plans to take any action against GW.
A spokesperson for the State Department did not return a request for comment on whether it knew about Russia’s plans to designate GW as undesirable, if it has been in contact with GW about the situation or if they plan to ask Russia to reverse the decision, as it did when the Russian government placed Bard on the list in 2021.
GW’s Russia Program, housed in the Elliott School of International Affairs, hosts events, conducts research, publishes articles and provides data and research tools about Russia, according to its website. It also runs the Russia Post, a website that posts articles by experts about Russian politics and culture with a focus on the war in Ukraine, according to its website.
Russia Program Director Ivan Grek did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the allegations against the program.
The program hosted a former CNN Moscow bureau chief in May who discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticized what she called “master class” Russian propaganda as Moscow tried to spin the invasion as justifiable.
Russian officials in the release accuse GW of financing media, individuals and organizations who are acting as “foreign agents” in Russia, also pointing to their launch a “media resource” that assembles information from “foreign agents and undesirable associations” about the socio-political situation in Russia and calls for increased sanctions on Russia.
