Russia labels British Council 'undesirable organization

5/6/2025 13:16

Russia's Prosecutor General's Office said on Thursday it had labelled The British Council an undesirable organization. "Positioning itself as an independent structure, all the work of the Council is aligned with the priorities of the UK government, the organisation is accountable to Parliament and funded by the Foreign Office of this country," it said in a statement. The British Council, which calls itself "the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities", said in 2018 that it had been told to cease operations in Russia. The British Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside usual London business hours.