Overview
- Russia’s Justice Ministry added the German Academic Exchange Service to its list of undesirable organizations, a move that functions as a de facto ban.
- Russian citizens who engage with the DAAD now face potential criminal prosecution, according to the announcement from Moscow.
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned the decision at the Munich Security Conference and urged Russia to rescind it immediately.
- The DAAD says it is coordinating closely with the German Foreign Office on next steps as scholarship holders and partners assess the impact.
- Roughly 200 DAAD‑funded Russian scholars are currently in Germany, with about 10,500 Russian nationals enrolled at German universities, and the ruling extends a broader crackdown that has already targeted many NGOs and German research bodies.