Russia Bans German Academic Exchange Organization

Russia has officially designated the German Academic Exchange Service as an “undesirable organization,” effectively banning its activities in the country and exposing Russian citizens who engage with it to potential criminal prosecution.

The organization, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, confirmed on Friday that it had been informed of the decision by Russia’s Ministry of Justice. In a statement, it said it was in close contact with the German Foreign Office regarding the next steps.

Under Russian law, the designation of an organization as “undesirable” prohibits its operations inside the country and criminalizes cooperation with it. Russian nationals who maintain contact with the German Academic Exchange Service could face legal consequences.

According to its own data, the German Academic Exchange Service is the world’s largest funding body for international academic exchange among students and researchers. The move is expected to severely restrict academic ties between Russia and Germany, as several other German scientific institutions have already been placed on Russia’s banned list.

Currently, around 200 Russian students are studying in Germany with scholarships from the organization, while a total of approximately 10,500 Russian nationals are enrolled at German universities.

The organization had already scaled back its engagement with Russia in 2022 following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and stopped awarding scholarships to recipients within Russia. However, the pathway for Russian students to study in Germany had remained open, and the organization continued operating an office in Moscow until recently.

Russia’s Ministry of Justice published the designation on its official website earlier this week, marking another escalation in the tightening of restrictions on foreign academic and civil society institutions operating in the country.