The Free University announced that it was suspending its activities in Russia due to its status as an "undesirable" organization. Svobodny’s Telegram channel published a statement from the Academic Council, which states that the university will continue its work abroad, “focusing on supporting students and teachers, maintaining academic ties and independent scientific schools.”
“The Prosecutor General's Office declares undesirable not a specific organization, but the very name of the Free University. So classes in any "free universities" in the Russian Federation can become a pretext for the persecution of citizens. We consider this recognition of the importance of our work done since 2020 by the authorities of the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office recognized the Free University as an "undesirable" organization on March 31. The department believes that the teachers of the organization "popularize the activities of organizations recognized as extremist in Russia" and use literature that "has a pronounced anti-Russian character."