Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it will be closing its operations in Russia after 32 years, following a directive from the Russian Ministry of Justice.

The organisation has been instructed to deregister from the ministry's foreign NGO database, which will effectively halt its operations. This decision follows the revocation of MSF's licence last month, along with those of other humanitarian groups, on the grounds that their activities were deemed non-compliant with their mandates. MSF-Netherlands, the affiliate responsible for overseeing the organisation's work in Russia, has been directly affected by this closure.

MSF operated across various regions in Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and areas near the Ukrainian border such as Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, MSF expanded its efforts to address the needs of the increasing number of war refugees arriving in Russia. To date, over 52,000 refugees and displaced individuals have received humanitarian aid, with more than 15,000 benefiting from free medical, mental health and psychosocial support. Additionally, MSF’s planned response to the humanitarian crisis in the southwestern Kursk region, an area recently affected by Ukrainian incursions, has encountered disruptions.

The decision to halt MSF’s operations comes at a critical juncture, as humanitarian needs in Russia are surging, particularly for refugees and internally displaced people. MSF has played a vital role in delivering emergency medical assistance and collaborating with Russian authorities to address health crises, including tuberculosis treatments. Its closure now creates a significant gap in humanitarian support at a time when escalating conflict and displacement have dramatically increased the demand for such services.

Norman Sitali, MSF’s operations manager for Russia, expressed deep regret over the forced closure, noting that many people in need of medical and humanitarian support would now be left without the aid MSF could have provided.

“We are very sad to conclude our programmes in the country as many people in need of medical and humanitarian assistance will now be left without the support we could have provided to them. MSF would like to still work in Russia again, if and when possible,” Sitali said.