"With the aim of carrying out extremist activities": the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Navalny for the creation of the FBK

The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case on the creation and leadership of an extremist community (part 1 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) against Alexei Navalny, Leonid Volkov, Ivan Zhdanov and other persons.

In addition, a case on participation in an extremist community (part 2 of article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) was initiated against Lyubov Sobol, Georgy Alburov, Ruslan Shaveddinov, Vyacheslav Gimadi, Pavel Zelensky, Rustem Mulyukov and other persons.

According to the investigation, no later than 2014, Navalny, being the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund *, created an extremist community and led it “in order to carry out extremist activities aimed at changing the foundations of the constitutional system in the Russian Federation, undermining public security and the state integrity of the Russian Federation” ...

In the same period, Volkov and Zhdanov joined Navalny's activities, noted in the UK.

“To ensure the activities of the extremist community, including its financing, as well as to create conditions for committing crimes of an extremist orientation, to attract new participants, the organizers established 8 non-profit organizations - foundations and commercial organizations, which were structural units of the community,” the department stressed.

In particular, "to expand the scope of criminal activity" in 2017, a public movement "Navalny's Headquarters" was created ** to carry out the work of the community in 37 regions of Russia. The curator and head of Navalny's Headquarters was Leonid Volkov, and in the period from 2014 to 2021. the community included Sobol, Alburov, Shaveddinov, Gimadi and others, noted in the UK. In addition, for propaganda on the Internet, the following were created: the website "Anti-Corruption Fund"; website of the public movement “Navalny's Headquarters”; the YouTube channel “Alexei Navalny”, as well as the social networks Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

“The illegal activities of the extremist community were aimed at discrediting state authorities and their policies, destabilizing the situation in the regions, creating a protest mood among the population and shaping public opinion about the need for a violent change of power, organizing and conducting protest actions that escalated into riots”, - emphasized in the Investigative Committee.

To this end, FBK members from 2014 to 2021 held uncoordinated public events in Russia, during which they called for extremist and terrorist activities, committed illegal actions that violate human and civil rights and freedoms, and harmed public order and public safety.

In addition, after the initiation of a criminal case, Leonid Volkov was put on the wanted list.

This is reported by TASS with reference to the data of the database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the wanted persons.

"Leonid Volkov, born on November 10, 1980, a native of Yekaterinburg, was put on the wanted list under article of the Criminal Code," the message says. 

Recall that on January 29, the Investigative Committee also put Leonid Volkov on the wanted list in connection with the accusation brought against him in absentia of involving teenagers in illegal rallies.

He was charged with committing a crime under paragraphs.

"A", "c" part 2 of Art.

151.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (persuading minors to commit illegal acts in information and telecommunication networks).

As a reminder, in early August, a court decision came into force on the recognition of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights *** as extremist organizations, as well as the Navalny Headquarters public movement.

On August 6, the Ministry of Justice of Russia included these organizations in the list of prohibited ones. 

On August 11, the Investigative Committee charged Alexei Navalny with creating an organization that infringes upon the personality and rights of citizens.

The official representative of the IC, Svetlana Petrenko, also noted that the blogger had created a non-profit organization acting as a foreign agent - the Anti-Corruption Foundation, whose activities were related to encouraging people to commit illegal acts.

In particular, persons involved in the activities of the fund circulated on their personal pages on the Internet and on the pages of the FBK messages containing calls for the participation of Russian citizens in uncoordinated rallies in January 2021.

Also in August, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against former FBK director Ivan Zhdanov and ex-head of Navalny's headquarters Leonid Volkov in connection with calls for funding extremist organizations.

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Alexey Navalny himself was detained at Shermetyevo airport on January 17, when he flew to Russia from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment.

The FSIN said that the reason for the detention was Navalny's repeated violations of the probationary period assigned to him in the case of embezzlement of funds from the Yves Rocher company.

On February 2, the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow ruled against Alexei Navalny to replace the suspended sentence with a real one in the Yves Rocher case.

The blogger was sentenced to three and a half years in a general regime colony and a fine of 500 thousand rubles, while he was credited with the period of being under house arrest.

* The Foundation for the Fight against Corruption (FBK) is included in the register of NPOs performing the functions of a foreign agent by the decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation dated 09.10.2019.

The organization is recognized as extremist, its activities are prohibited on the territory of Russia by the decision of the Moscow City Court of 06/09/2021.

** The organization is recognized as extremist, its activities are prohibited on the territory of Russia by the decision of the Moscow City Court of 06/09/2021.

*** The Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights was included in the register of NPOs performing the functions of a foreign agent, by decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation dated December 25, 2020.

The organization is recognized as extremist, its activities are prohibited on the territory of Russia by the decision of the Moscow City Court of 06/09/2021.