Kremlin threatened by Russia's 'systemic opposition'?
German NGOs in firing line
Earlier this week, Moscow branded three German NGOs as "undesirable, effectively banning them from operating. That prompted strong criticism from the European Union and the German government.
Stefan Melle, head of German-Russian Exchange, which is one of the German groups affected by the move, told DW that Russia is "unfortunately being closed off" by its leaders.
"That makes us very concerned, not only for our colleagues and partners on the ground, but really also for the people in Russia as a whole," he added.
"We think this is part of a larger escalation process and that will unfortunately continue — at least until the Duma elections in September 2021."