University of Bremen President Jutta Günther emphasized: "The Research Centre for East European Studies, an affiliated institute of the University of Bremen, makes significant scholarly contributions to the study of the post-Soviet region and maintains an archive that is unique in the academic world. Under its new classification as an 'undesirable organization,' the Russian government now bars the FSO and its members from conducting any research activities in Russia – and prohibits Russian institutions and scholars from collaborating with the FSO.
 

The FSO in Bremen also serves as a branch office of the German Association for East European Studies (Berlin). Russia first declared the Berlin association 'undesirable' in 2024, then, shortly after, labeled it 'extremist' – a designation that carries even harsher penalties.
 

The Bremen research center also hosts teams from Memorial, the Russian human rights organization that Russia has classified as 'extremist' since this past spring.
Taken together, this 'triple sanctioning' of the FSO reflects the Russian government's ongoing hostility toward independent scholarship and marks a further attempt to intimidate researchers. The University of Bremen's Executive Board condemns this renewed attack on academic freedom."