After 20 years of working in Russia, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced it will close its offices in the country.

After 20 years of working in Russia, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced it will close its offices in the country, Russia Today news website reported.

The USAID officials said they were informed by the Russian government that their services were no longer required.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, USAID was attempting to manipulate the election processes in the country.

“The character of the agency's work…did not always comply with the declared aims of cooperation in bilateral humanitarian cooperation,” the Foreign Ministry said on its website. “We are talking about issuing grants in an attempt to affect the course of the political processes in the country, including elections at different levels and institutions in civil society."

Russian civil society has become fully mature, the Foreign Ministry said, and did not need any "external direction." Moscow is ready to work with USAID in third-party countries, it said.

Moscow‘s decision to halt USAID programs comes after Putin in July signed legislation that requires nongovernmental organizations that receive funds from abroad to register as "foreign agents."

The law requires that Russian-based NGOs provide information as to how funds received from abroad are being used in Russia.
On the other hand, the United States has denied that USAID programs are aimed at interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs.

US State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland announced the termination of USAID's operations in Russia on Tuesday. The Kremlin notified US officials they have until October 1 to close the mission.

Washington began its USAID operations in Moscow following the unexpected collapse of the Soviet Union.