Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian organization that focuses on providing medical aid in conflict zones, announced on Sept. 16 that its programs in Russia will be closed.
Doctors Without Borders has been working in Russia since 1992. For 32 years, the organization has been engaged in the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis and HIV, assistance to the homeless, and humanitarian aid in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan.
The organization said that throughout the full-scale invasion, it was providing assistance to Russian citizens affected by Moscow's war in Ukraine and to Ukrainian citizens "who crossed into Russia from Ukraine."
Nearly 1.3 million displaced Ukrainians have been registered in Russia as of December 2023, with the U.N. expressing "concerns regarding their legal status, rights, and access to services within the country." Research by Amnesty International showed that "many displaced Ukrainians end up inside Russia or Russia-occupied territories involuntarily, even if they are not physically forced to move."
Doctors Without Borders said it was carrying out this work "in partnership with local NGOs in the Belgorod and Rostov regions in the south of Russia."
The reason for the closure was that in August, the organization received a letter from the Russian Justice Ministry with a decision to exclude the affiliate office of the non-profit association "Doctors Without Borders"(Netherlands) in Russia from the register of affiliate and representative offices of foreign NGOs, the statement read.
"It is with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities in Russia. Our organization's work is guided by independence, impartiality, neutrality, and medical ethics. We provide assistance based on the needs," said Yashovardhan, head of the Russian programs.
The reason for the Justice Ministry's decision to exclude the organization's branch was not specified.
The register shows only two branches of the organization as of Sept. 15, 2024: "Doctors Without Borders" (Belgium) and "Doctors Without Borders" (France). The first was removed from the register in 2009, while the second one, listed in 2006, has no removal date. The affiliate "Doctors Without Borders"(Netherlands) was de-registered in July 2024.
"We are very sad to conclude our programs in the country as many people in need of medical and humanitarian assistance will now be left without the support we could have provided them. Doctors Without Borders would like to still work in Russia again, if and when possible," Norman Sitali, operations manager responsible for programs in Russia, said.
Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971 by a group of French doctors and journalists to help people in war zones, epidemics, and natural disasters. Since then, the organization has been present in more than 70 countries.
Dinara Khalilova
