News
Photo: Radio Liberty
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against former CEO of energy giant Yukos and political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, along with 22 other members of the Russian Antiwar Committee, on charges of “organizing a terrorist community” (Parts 1 and 2 of Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code) and “attempting to seize power by force” (Article 278). The announcement was reported by the state-controlled news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti, citing an FSB press release.
According to the FSB, Khodorkovsky and other committee members “called for the liquidation of the current Russian government.” The FSB cited as evidence the Berlin Declaration adopted in 2023 by the Antiwar Committee. The document describes Russia’s current authorities as “illegitimate and criminal.”
The press release also referred to the committee’s initiative to create a platform for the Russian opposition within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The FSB claims the initiative was presented as a “constituent assembly for a transitional period and an alternative to the authorities of the Russian Federation.”
Alongside Khodorkovsky, the case names 22 other members of the Committee as defendants:
- Mikhail Kasyanov, former Russian prime minister (2000-2004) and current opposition politician who has criticized Vladimir Putin’s government.
- Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and prominent Kremlin critic who founded the opposition movement The Free Russia Forum.
- Leonid Gozman, Russian liberal politician and commentator known for his opposition to authoritarianism and advocacy of democratic reform.
- Artur Smolyaninov, Russian actor and director who left the country after denouncing the war in Ukraine.
- Marat Gelman, gallerist and political consultant who became an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and supporter of Russian contemporary art.
- Vladimir Kara-Murza, opposition politician and journalist who survived a poisoning attempt and then was imprisoned in Russia for his criticism of the invasion of Ukraine. In 2024, he was freed as part of the largest prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War.
- Dmitry Gudkov, former State Duma deputy and opposition figure who in 2021 fled Russia after facing political persecution.
- Maxim Reznik, former St. Petersburg lawmaker and activist known for his anti-corruption and pro-democracy stance.
- Ekaterina Schulmann, political scientist and public intellectual specializing in Russian politics and legislative processes, now based in Germany.
- Evgeny Chichvarkin, entrepreneur and former owner of the mobile retailer Euroset, currently living in exile in London and supporting Russian opposition causes.
- Boris Zimin, businessman and philanthropist, son of telecom magnate Dmitry Zimin, who funds independent Russian media and civil society initiatives.
- Mikhail Kokorich, space technology entrepreneur and founder of Momentus Space. He left Russia amid pressure from the authorities.
- Sergei Aleksashenko, economist and former deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, now a critic of the government’s economic policies.
- Sergei Guriev, prominent economist and former rector of the New Economic School in Moscow, currently serving as dean and professor of economics at the London Business School.
- Eugene Koonin, Russian-American biologist and evolutionary genomics researcher working at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
- Konstantin Chumakov, Russian-American virologist and expert in vaccine development, member of the U.S. National Vaccine Advisory Committee.
- Elena Lukyanova, legal scholar and constitutional law expert critical of the Kremlin’s erosion of democratic institutions. She served in the staff of the Russian State Duma of the first, second and third convocations with the rank of First-Class Adviser. From 2006 to 2014, she served as Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s defense attorney.
- Yuri Pivovarov, historian and political scientist specializing in Russian intellectual and political history.
- Evgeny Kiselev, veteran Russian journalist and TV host known for his critical reporting on Russian politics since the 1990s.
- Viktor Shenderovich, writer, satirist, and outspoken Kremlin critic who fled Russia amid prosecution for his anti-war views.
- Anastasia Shevchenko, human rights activist and the first person prosecuted under Russia’s “undesirable organizations” law.
- Kirill Martynov, journalist and political philosopher, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe.
A separate case has been opened against Khodorkovsky under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which relates to the public incitement of terrorism.
Berlin Declaration
The Berlin Declaration (also known as the “Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces”) was adopted in the spring of 2023 at the initiative of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and several other opposition figures living in exile. The supporters and associates of the late Alexei Navalny did not take part in drafting the document and have not signed it. The declaration includes the following points:
- The war against Ukraine is criminal. Russian troops must be withdrawn from all occupied territories. The internationally recognized borders of Russia must be restored; war criminals must be brought to justice and the victims of aggression must be compensated.
- Putin’s regime is illegitimate and criminal. Therefore, it must be liquidated. We see Russia as a country in which the individual freedoms and rights are guaranteed, in which the usurpation of state power is eliminated.
- The implementation of imperial policy within Russia and abroad is unacceptable.
- Political prisoners in Russia and prisoners of war must be released, forcibly displaced persons must be allowed to return home, and abducted Ukrainian children must be returned to Ukraine.
- We express our solidarity with those Russians who, despite the brutal repressions, have the courage to speak up from anti-Putin and anti-war positions, and with those tens of millions who refuse to participate in the crimes of the Putin regime.