Russia’s Dynasty Foundation on ‘foreign agent’ list announces decision on disband

The Dynasty Foundation of businessman Dmitry Zimin, listed among "foreign agent" NGOs in Russia, has adopted a decision on its dissolution, the organization said in a statement posted on the website on Wednesday.

"At the session of the council of Dmitry Zimin’s Dynasty Foundation on July 5, 2015 a decision on the foundation’s dissolution was made," the private Russian nonprofit supporting research and education has said.

Yevgeny Yasin, a member of the foundation’s council and the president of the Liberal Mission Foundation, which has been also fined for having violated the country’s NGO law, told TASS that the decision was adopted by the council upon the request of Zimin.

"The founder and the actual owner of the foundation has asked us to support the decision to close the foundation. He explained that if the state treats him that way, if he is considered as a "foreign agent" then the activity should be stopped," Yasin said.

"We had disputes on the foundation’s activity but for the second time all the members of the council of the Dynasty Foundation backed Zimin’s call for dissolution," he said.

The beleaguered Dynasty Foundation was included by the Russian Justice Ministry in the NGO register of "foreign agents" along with the Liberal Mission on May 25 .

The Dynasty Foundation, established in 2002, has 20 programs and projects in the sphere of the development of fundamental scientific research and education in Russia.