US-Russian tensions. Moscow prohibits U.S. agency work

Russia announced Wednesday that offered time period October 1 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to close down, accusing the involvement in domestic politics by supporting groups that criticize the regime, according to AFP.

"The decision was made primarily because the agency responsible business in our country is far from the facility meets the stated objectives of developing bilateral humanitarian cooperation," said Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"It's rather attempts to influence political processes giving scholarships. Civil society has become sufficiently mature Russian and not need 'external target,'" the ministry added, noting that USAID should "cease its activities to October 1 ".

U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that it was "recently informed" of Moscow in connection with its decision to end all USAID operations in Russia.

Department of State, under whose administration USAID, said he was "very proud of what he did USAID in

Russia in the last two decades."

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, USAID has spent $ 2.7 billion in Russia in various projects such as the fight against AIDS and environmental protection. USAID funded political associations and human rights.

USAID finances especially NGO Goals, who denounced irregularities in the Russian parliamentary elections in late 2011. Washington has criticized the election and Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused American diplomacy that encourages movement to contest against him by the associations.