PICREADI

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PICREADI is "a Russian organization" led by Moscow Resident Natalia Burlinova, "funded by the Russian government and devoted to promoting Russian national interests." PICREADI is behind the "Public Diplomacy" group Meeting Russia, which has presented at Tufts University, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"President of PICREADI Natalia Burlinova and Meeting Russia coordinator Oleg Shakirov have attended The American Interest, the Eurasia Foundation, the Fletcher School, conducted meetings with American experts on public diplomacy."

Meeting Russia Blog is a joint discussion platform of the Russian International Affairs Council and the Public Initiative "Creative Diplomacy" (PICREADI), a Moscow-based NGO working in the sphere of public diplomacy.

Charges Against Natalia Burlinova

According to a Department of Justice press release dated April 18, 2023, PICREADI founder and president Natalia Burlinova was charged "with conspiring with an FSB officer to act as an illegal agent of Russia in the United States."

United States v. Burlinova

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint unsealed in the District of Columbia, Russian national Natalia Burlinova, a resident of Moscow, conspired with an FSB officer to recruit U.S. citizens from academic and research institutions to travel to Russia to participate in a public diplomacy program called Meeting Russia. The program was operated by PICREADI, a Russian organization led by Burlinova, funded by the Russian government and devoted to promoting Russian national interests.

“The defendant is accused of subverting our foreign agent notification laws to promote Russian national interests here in the United States, concealing from the public that her recruitment efforts were funded by a Russian security service,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “We will continue to expose these serious crimes and hold all who perpetrate them accountable.”

The affidavit alleges that the FSB officer provided funding and other support for Burlinova’s foreign recruitment and her efforts to advance Russian interests in the United States. In return, Burlinova provided the FSB officer with extensive information about U.S. citizens who were recruited to attend her programs, including their résumés, passport information, photographs and analyses of their views toward Russia. Burlinova further identified for the FSB officer particular U.S. citizens who, in Burlinova’s view, had expressed positive attitudes towards Russia and were prepared to continue to collaborate. During a recruitment trip to the United States in fall 2018, Burlinova met with U.S. citizens at various universities and research institutions and provided to photographs of her meetings to the FSB officer. The FSB officer used the information Burlinova provided prepare FSB intelligence reports. Burlinova never notified the Attorney General of these efforts or otherwise disclosed to the public that her recruitment efforts were supported and funded by a Russian security service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Friedman for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Emma D. Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment and a complaint are merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Russian 'Soft Power' Agency

Excerpt from the "Third issue of the public diplomacy journal under the brand of the Meeting Russia program":

"The Public Initiative “Creative Diplomacy“ is a Moscow-based non-governmental organization founded in 2010 by a group of new generation experts committed to developing and supporting civil initiatives in foreign affairs.

PICREADI is one of the leading Russian organizations working in the field of public diplomacy. In 2017, it was mentioned among the five important Russian soft power agencies in a study commissioned by the British Council from the University of Edinburgh.

PICREADI combines elements of both an academic research center and a grass�roots organization in Russia's public diplomacy system. It is fully independent in its research and related activities.

Meeting Russia Reach in the United States

PICREADI's Meeting Russia Program:

Since November 9, PICREADI (Creative Diplomacy) has been visiting the USA for presenting its annual public diplomacy program Meeting Russia. Meetings are organized in Washington DC, Boston and New York.

It is the second year when PICREADI promotes the Meeting Russia program at that platforms of leading universities and academic centers. President of PICREADI Natalia Burlinova and Meeting Russia coordinator Oleg Shakirov have attended The American Interest, the Eurasia Foundation, the Fletcher School, conducted meetings with American experts on public diplomacy.

On 13-15 November Natalia Burlinova and Oleg Shakirov have presented the program in Washington DC and Boston. In Washington DC the main platform for the presentation was the Eurasia Foundation and its Young Professionals Network (YPN). PICREADI has also presented the Meeting Russia project at the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication of the George Washington University.

In Boston PICREADI made a presentation and held a discussion at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at the Tufts University. Students were also interested in the Russian current public and digital diplomacy trends.

Also, PICREADI held presentations at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies of the Harvard University and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

About

From the PICREADI website:

PICREADI stands for Public Initiative "Creative Diplomacy" and is a Moscow-based non-governmental organization founded in 2010 by a group of new generation experts committed to developing and supporting civil initiatives in public diplomacy and foreign affairs.

PICREADI is one of the leading Russian organizations working in the field of public diplomacy. In 2017, it was mentioned among the five important Russian soft power agencies in a study commissioned by the British Council from the University of Edinburgh.

PICREADI combines elements of both an academic research center and a grass-roots organization in Russia's public diplomacy system. We raise awareness about challenges and opportunities for the country's public diplomacy and strive to make it more resilient.

Also, PICREADI is an intellectual platform which hosts annual face-to-face debates among prominent experts and emerging voices in the Russian foreign policy community. On top of that, we offer courses in public diplomacy and organize training programs.

PICREADI is fully independent in its research and related activities. Committed to the advancement of the Russian national interests and to making Russian voices heard, we support diversity of opinions and foster dialogue. In times of mutual distrust and hypocritical attitudes, PICREADI seeks to serve as a link between people, societies and states. One of the values we hold dearly and seek to strengthen is the gender equality in our professional sphere.