Russia outlaws British Council as ‘undesirable organisation’

Russia bans British Council as "undesirable organization", accusing UK of global crisis instigation and espionage, worsening already strained relations.

Russia on Thursday (June 5, 2025) banned the British Council as an “undesirable organisation”, as Moscow branded London the architect of global crisis and “instigator of wars”.

Relations between the two countries were at rock bottom even before Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, soured by a slew of espionage and interference scandals, including the 2018 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal on British soil.

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Russia’s prosecutor general accused the British Council of trying to promote British interests “under the guise of teaching English” and of supporting the “LGBT movement”, which Russia has outlawed as “extremist”.

“Various projects are being implemented to systematically discredit the domestic and foreign policies of the Russian Federation,” it added.

Moscow has labelled dozens of Western-backed organisations “undesirable”, a designation that outlaws their work in Russia and makes anybody who works for them liable to years-long jail sentences.

State media reported that the FSB security services, which said it provided evidence for the decision, called Britain “the main source of global crises, a provocateur and instigator of wars”.