The Russian Interior Ministry is seeking the extradition of former FBK employees

On April 2, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia announced that the department's staff was taking measures to bring to criminal responsibility and extradite from abroad citizens accused of terrorist and extremist crimes associated with FBK (included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia).

Among those wanted are Dmitry Nizovtsev, Ruslan Shaveddinov (both recognized as foreign agents) and Nina Volokhonskaya (recognized as a foreign agent, included in the list of terrorists and extremists). According to the Interior Ministry, all three are accused of participating in an extremist community (Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In addition, Nizovtseva and Shaveddinova disseminated false information about the Russian Armed Forces (Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), justifying terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) and evading the duties of a foreign agent (Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

The involvement of Daniil Golubev, born in 1996, an active supporter and propagandist of the LGBT community (the movement is recognized as extremist in Russia) Pavel Gribunin and Artyom Ionov, born in 2001 (all three are recognized as foreign agents in the Russian Federation), is also being investigated.

"According to the available materials, among the above—mentioned fugitives there are persons who participated in the activities of FBK (recognized as an extremist organization and banned, a foreign agent, liquidated) and in uncoordinated actions, who were repeatedly brought to administrative responsibility," the department's Telegram channel says.

In January last year, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Nizovtsev, Anna Biryukova, and an associate of blogger Alexei Navalny in absentia (listed by Rosfinmonitoring in the register of organizations and individuals involved in extremist activities or terrorism) Kira Yarmysh. All the defendants were charged in absentia with organizing or participating in an extremist community, spreading deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces, vandalism, public calls for terrorist activities, as well as public justification of terrorism.

On June 9, 2021, the Moscow City Court recognized the FBK non-profit organization as extremist. Its activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.