The New Time Foundation, which helped HIV patients, closed in Yekaterinburg after a foreign agency fine.
In Yekaterinburg, the "New Time" charity foundation, which helped people with HIV and drug addiction, has permanently ceased operations. The closure was caused by a fine for failure to file reports and the freezing of a special account following the tightening of foreign-agency legislation.
Foreign agent fine and forced liquidation
The foundation received "foreign agent" status back in 2017, but continued to operate fully until March 2025, when new legislation came into effect. To comply with the new amendments, the organization immediately opened a special account. However, the activists were never able to use the funds deposited into it.
As a result, the foundation failed to submit expenditure reports to the Ministry of Justice in the third and fourth quarters. For this violation, the organization received a fine of 300 rubles, the minimum fine for legal entities with "foreign agent" status.
The organization "New Time" has been helping HIV patients, drug addicts, and their families in the Sverdlovsk region since 1999. In August, the foundation's management filed a lawsuit seeking the complete liquidation of the legal entity. They also hope that the closure will allow them to unblock the special account and finally pay off their wage and tax debts.
A wave of closures of charitable NGOs in the regions
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that repressive legislation in Russia has led to the destruction of socially important initiatives. For example, in the Krasnodar Territory, the "Good South" foundation, which helped people with mental disabilities, was on the verge of closure. Other projects have suffered a similar fate:
In Yekaterinburg, the Roizman Foundation, which helped seriously ill children and adults, was liquidated through the courts.
In Penza, the oldest foundation, the Civil Union, has completely ceased its operations after being recognized as a “foreign agent.”
The well-known children's hospice "House with a Lighthouse" is currently under threat of closure. Its founder, Lida Moniava, was accused of "discrediting the army" for a Telegram post from 2023. As a result, she faces up to 10 years in prison.
Thus, key non-profit organizations are being systematically destroyed by state forces in the regions. Meanwhile, Russia is still lacking the capacity to effectively replace the departing NGOs and take over their work.
