March 11, 2026

More Undesirables


More Undesirables
UC Berkeley. University of California, Berkeley

The Russian Justice Ministry’s list of “undesirable” organizations continues to grow with each passing month. Two of the newest additions include the University of California Berkeley and the Russian-American Science Association (RASA).

As undesirable organizations, they will be effectively banned from operating in Russia. ​Affiliation with undesirable organizations carries a substantial penalty, and individuals who cooperate or are associated with them may face a fine or up to four years in prison. Organizers of related activities may be sentenced to up to six years.

​The designations were approved by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in February, but the organizations’ names were only made public on March 3. No official comment has been issued by the Office as to why RASA and UC Berkeley were added.

RASA is a network of Russian-speaking scientists and scholars working in the United States and other countries. It was founded to encourage collaboration, professional development, and scientific exchange between researchers in Russia and the United States. Several individual members of RASA are also labeled as “foreign agents” under Russian law.

One possible incident that may have put UC Berkeley on the list is that it provided refuge for two outspoken Russian scholars and critics of Putin. Ilya Matveyev and Ilya Budraitskis were visiting scholars in Berkeley’s program for Critical Theory and Sociology.

Hundreds of institutions in the United States and internationally are on the Ministry of Justice list. UC Berkeley joins other US institutions like Yale, Bard College, and George Washington University.

​The new designation brings uncertainty to Russian international students and professors who have worked with RASA or Berkeley (or other US institutions on the list). Most have no clear answers about their ability to return to Russia because of their affiliation.

You Might Also Like

Taxing Foreign Agents
  • January 04, 2026

Taxing Foreign Agents

As of the new year, registered foreign agents are liable for a high income tax rate.
Russia Comes for Norwegians
  • February 09, 2025

Russia Comes for Norwegians

The independent Norwegian news site The Barents Observer has been declared "undesirable" by the Russian government.
Fulbright Foreign Agents?
  • June 20, 2024

Fulbright Foreign Agents?

Now that Fulbright has been declared an "undesirable organization," what will happen with its current and former Russian researchers?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955