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A probe into organization of an extremist community launched against A. Navalny and other persons

The Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia launched a probe under Part 1 of Article 282.1  of the Criminal Code of Russia (creation and management of an extremist community) into A. Navalny, L. Volkov, I. Zhdanov and other persons and a probe under Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code (participation in a terrorist community) into L. Sobol, G. Alburov, R. Shaveddinov, V. Gimadi, P. Zelensky, R. Mulukov and other persons.

It was established that no later than 2014, Navalny, being the founder of the Foundation for the Fight against Corruption (recognized as extremist and liquidated on the territory of the Russian Federation), in order to carry out extremist activities aimed at changing the foundations of the constitutional system in the Russian Federation, undermining public security and state integrity of the Russian Federation created an extremist community and led it. During this period of time, Volkov and Zhdanov joined Navalny's criminal activities.

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 divisions of the community.

In order to expand the scope of criminal activity in 2017, a public movement "Navalny Headquarters" was created to carry out community activities in 37 regions of Russia. The main curator and head of Navalny's Headquarters was Volkov, representing the Federal Headquarters in Moscow. In 2014-2021 the community was joined by Sobol, Alburov, Shaveddinov, Gimadi and other persons, as well as heads and staff of headquarters in the regions.

In order to promote criminal activity on the Internet, they created: the site "Anti-Corruption Fund"; the site of the public movement "Navalny's Headquarters"; own channel on the video hosting "YouTube" "Alexei Navalny", and also used the social networks "Twitter", "Instagram", "Facebook", etc.

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 holding protest actions that escalate into riots.

For this purpose, in 2014-2021 leaders and members of the extremist community systematically held uncoordinated public events in the territories of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, during which calls for extremist and terrorist activities were carried out, illegal actions were committed that entailed a violation of human and civil rights and freedoms, and damage to public order and public safety was inflicted.

This year, by the decision of the Moscow City Court, the NGO "FBK", the NGO "Fund for the Protection of Citizens' Rights" were liquidated and the activities of the public movement "Navalny's Headquarters" were banned in connection with their recognition as extremist organizations.

The leaders and members of the extremist community committed extremist offenses, including: the creation and leadership by Navalny, together with Volkov and Zhdanov, a non-profit organization acting as a foreign agent - FBK and calls for citizens to commit illegal acts - to participate in uncoordinated rallies on January 23 and 31 , as well as April 21, 2021 (Part 2 of Article 239 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); Volkov and Zhdanov posted a video on the Internet in August of this year (after the court made a decision to ban FBK's activities) in which they called on an unlimited number of people to finance Navalny's Team by transferring funds and cryptocurrency (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); posting by Volkov and other unidentified supporters of Navalny on the Internet of publications calling for minors to participate in uncoordinated rallies on January 23, 2021 (Part 2 of Article 151.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); on June 12, 2017 a member of Navalny's Headquarters Mulyukov in the city of Ufa spoke to citizens with calls for a violent change in the foundations of the constitutional order by carrying out a revolution on the territory of the Russian Federation (Part 1 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); In October 2020, Zelensky, a member of the “federal” Navalny Headquarters in Moscow, posted publications on the Internet in which he encouraged them to fight against the existing state power using violent actions (Part 1 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).  

Investigation of all episodes of illegal activities of the perpetrators continues.