The Russian government gave the US until 1 October to close the mission.

 

USAID has worked in Russia for two decades, spending nearly $3bn on aid and democratic programmes.

 

Correspondents say the government's antipathy¹（反感，厌恶） towards pro-democracy groups may be to blame for the move.

 

The Russian authorities have become increasingly suspicious of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which it believes are using foreign funding to foment² political unrest, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.

 

Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin alleged³ that protests surrounding his re-election were orchestrated by US-funded NGOs.

 

Among the groups likely to be affected⁴ is Golos, whose exposure of electoral fraud at last year's parliamentary elections helped spark huge anti-Kremlin street demonstrations⁵.

 

Golos is partly funded by USAID.

 

 

In announcing the closure of the USAID office, US state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said: "We remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust⁶ civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organisations."

 

She would not be drawn⁷ on the reasons behind the Kremlin's decision, but said there was a sense "that they don't need this any more".

 

The United States began its operations in Russia after the end of the Soviet⁸ Union, spending around $2.7bn on a wide range of human rights, civil society, health and environmental programmes.

 

USAID was due to spend around $50m on its work in Russia this year.

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