A major Russian financing scandal connects to America's Christian fundamentalists [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: ThinkProgress

A major Russian financing scandal connects to America’s Christian fundamentalists

After an explosive revelation in Italy, new questions surface about the World Congress of Families.

CASEY MICHEL
JUL 12, 2019, 8:00 AM

A series of reports over the past few months have pulled back the curtain on discussions about secret funding from Russia to far-right forces in Europe.

Now, there are new questions about the connection the funding has with perhaps the most notorious international anti-LGBTQ group in existence — a joint Russian-American brainchild called the World Congress of Families (WCF).

The recent revelations, which burst forth earlier this year, center on backroom discussions between allies of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Russian associates connected to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. The discussions, which BuzzFeed News published audio of earlier this week, center on a kickback scheme involving tens of millions of dollars in fuel discounts secretly passed to Salvini’s far-right Lega party.

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For years, the WCF has acted as the primary bridge between American Christian fundamentalists and Russian partners. Helping export regressive anti-LGBTQ policies to Russia, the WCF has served as a platform since the mid-1990s for bringing together some of the most backward, homophobic voices internationally.

Along the way, it has also picked up financing and support from numerous Russian officials and oligarchs specifically sanctioned by the United States. Former Russian Railways chief Vladimir Yakunin and sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev have both served as patrons of the WCF’s efforts, especially over the past few years, even going so far as to reportedly directly fund and sponsor WCF-related events.

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Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/world-congress-of-families-anti-lgbtq-russian-far-right-financing-f9a3d4de4a90/