Russia claims the Barents Secretariat stimulates protest activity and promotes LGBT communities, according to the Russian Prosecutor General. The secretariat, established in 1993 to support Norway's role in the Barents Council, is owned by county municipalities and mainly financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, official sources said. Its main office is in Kirkenes, and until 2022 it had offices in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and Naryan-Mar.
All activities with official Russia within the Barents cooperation were suspended in March 2022 due to Russia's war in Ukraine, research indicates. The secretariat received a new assignment letter from the ministry in March 2025, which stated it can still support people-to-people projects involving independent Russian actors, according to research. The secretariat was informed of the designation on 11 March 2025, research shows.
Kenneth Stålsett, managing director of the Barents Secretariat, said that if the designation is true, it worries him very little and has very little impact on them since Russia is not part of their mission. The other five Norwegian organizations declared 'undesirable' are Bellona Foundation, Human Rights House Foundation, Barents Observer, Natur og Ungdom, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. The Barents Observer was also declared 'undesirable' by Russia's Prosecutor General, research indicates.
It won a case at the European Court of Human Rights against Russia's censorship agency Roskomnadzor one day before the designation, after Roskomnadzor blocked the newspaper on Russian territory in February 2019. In a related context, the Russian Supreme Court labeled the 'international LGBT movement' as 'extremist' in November 2023, according to research. ILGA World was designated an 'undesirable' foreign organization by Russia on 21 January 2026, research shows.
In 2024, at least seven criminal cases were opened for LGBTI extremism in Russia, according to research.