On March 8, the US Department of Justice charged Elena Branson, Chairman of the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots (CSRS), with illegal activities as a foreign agent in the United States. Recall that the American authorities began to squeeze Russian compatriots out of the country under far-fetched pretexts back in 2020 and still do not stop exerting such pressure. This has already led to the forced suspension of the activities of the CSRC and the departure of a number of activists of the international movement of Russian compatriots to Russia.
So that you understand the absurdity of the accusations, I will briefly outline what the CSRS is doing. The organizations of compatriots represent a community of immigrants from Russia, united by national and cultural origin, the desire to maintain their native language, traditions and history, Russian culture and at the same time be full members of the society of the state of residence. Compatriots do not act as an agent, representative or in any other capacity under the direction or control of the Russian state. Nor are they engaged in political, lobbying or other activities listed in the American Foreign Agents Act that can influence the US government in terms of formulating or changing the policy of the United States.
The main public activity of the CSRS is humanitarian, including the preservation of Russian culture, the Russian language, and, importantly, our common historical memory with Americans – about the Second World War.
Practically, the US authorities have outlawed people who represent Russian culture and everything Russian on the American continent. Russophobia is off the scale and, even worse, it is formalized legally and legally. The American authorities should understand that such actions will inevitably further undermine the reputation of the United States in Russian society.
We demand an immediate end to the persecution and discrimination of Russian compatriots in the United States, including at the domestic level, on national, cultural and linguistic grounds.