NPOs ask Putin to publish a list of organizations funded from abroad

Representatives of 58 non-profit organizations (NPOs) of Russia have sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin, asking him to publish a full list of organizations receiving funding from abroad.

"The public has the right to know what organization, how much and for what purpose are supported, including funding from abroad," says the statement released today.

"The country operates 654 non-governmental organizations that receive money from abroad. 654 organizations make a whole network throughout the Russian Federation, including all its regions," Mr Putin said on April 5 in his interview to the German ARD TV and Radio Company.

During the four months after adoption of the law that introduced the status of a "foreign agent", 28.3 billion roubles were transferred from abroad to the accounts of such NPOs, the website of the President of Russia quotes Mr Putin's data.

"We urge the head of state to order an immediate publication of a full list of these 654 NPOs with indication of the amounts received by them for the last four months, and what activities the funds had been received for," says the appeal, which was signed by representatives of 58 NPOs of Russia including those working in Northern Caucasus.

The RIA "Novosti" reports that the Kremlin has not seen the appeal asking to publish the list of NPOs.