14 Jun 2017 20:09

NGOs in Russia receive up to 90 bln rubles from abroad for political activities annually - Matviyenko

MOSCOW. June 14 (Interfax) - Non-governmental organizations receive up to 90 billion rubles to conduct political activities in Russia annually, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said.

"Interference with Russia's domestic affairs is multifaceted; a great deal of money is being attracted. According to the Rosfinmonitoring [Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service], from 70 to 90 billion rubles are sent to Russia for political activities annually, not for charities, not to support healthcare, but for political activities exactly," Matviyenko said at the Rossiya-1 (VGTRK) TV channel.

This money is sent to a number of non-governmental organizations and foundations, and special grants are divided for this purpose, she said.