According to TASS, the Russian Justice Ministry has explained why it has included the autonomous non-profit organization "The Analytical Center of Yuri Levada" in its list of non-commercial organizations, which perform the functions of foreign agents.
A Justice Ministry source told that a random check carried out by the ministry’s Moscow branch had established that the Levada Center was financed by foreign sources and was involved in political activities in the territory of Russia in the interests of its foreign sponsors. The center prepares and distributes by means of modern information technologies their opinion on decisions passed by Russian bodies of state power and their policy and forms socio-political views and convictions.
Due to the information, provided by the source, the inspection revealed that the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada had received a large part of its funds from the United States, including a grant from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, which is curated by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Russian Justice Ministry clarified that the center’s foreign finance sources included Ipsos Mori UK Ltd (Britain); the Moscow subsidiary of the "Jones Day Limited Partnership (USA); Fafo Ais As (Norway); Fernland Holdings Ltd (Switzerland); Deutsche Gesellschaft Fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit GNBH (Germany), Gallup Inc. (USA); Viesoji Istaiga (Lithuania); University of Wisconsin Madison (USA); Regents of University of Colorado (USA): Columbia University (USA) and The George Washington University (USA).