According to reports, the FBI probed the MacArthur Foundation in the United States, an American philanthropic organisation, at the request from the Russian government, even though there was no evidence of criminal activity.

According to documents reviewed Monday by The Washington Times, Russia asked for information from the FBI about the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago and its $4.5 Million in grants to Ukrainians in 2004.

The Russian official addressed the U.S. government, stating that “We would like you to ask the U.S. Law Enforcement Authorities to confirm or refute [this] foundation and, if it does exist — confirm the legality of transactions whereby funds were transferred to Ukrainian citizens.”

The MacArthur Foundation has given more than $7.5 million in grants since 1970 to support democracy, crime justice, journalism, and climate. After the Duma put the foundation on the list of “undesirable” organizations in 2015, the group started working in the former Soviet Union.

According to the outlet, the FBI’s Chicago branch fulfilled Russia’s request. The foundation also cooperated with the federal agency.

Joshua Mintz was the general counsel for the Macarthur Foundation. He confirmed that the Macarthur Foundation worked with the FBI, but wasn’t aware it was under investigation.

Mintz stated that “In general we aim to respond to reasonable requests from governmental entities that would otherwise be publicly available or from other relevant sources in response to a legal process.” “We answered a reasonable request by the FBI about grants we made. These grants are public information and included in our tax returns.”

Unredacted documents from the U.S. government do not indicate that the MacArthur Foundation was involved with criminal or questionable activities.