“It is with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities in Russia,” Yashovardhan, head of MSF programs in Russia, is quoted as saying.
“Our organisation’s work is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality, and medical ethics.
The MSF has been active in Russia since 1992 and has been involved in a series of health programs essential for the Russian population.
For example, in Arkhangelsk, a city in the Russian north, where MSF has been involved in tuberculosis treatments.
It’s unclear why, in such a context, the MSF is still being closed by Russian authorities and how the MSF’s support could be replaced.
Besides Arkhangelsk and Ivanovo, Doctors Without Borders also operated in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Kemerovo region, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan regions.
Also, any affiliation with foreign funding is branded as an “enemy” by the Russian authorities. »
