In a significant move this Tuesday, Russia’s primary intelligence body initiated a broad terrorism investigation targeting almost two dozen anti-war Russian citizens. This action marks a severe escalation in the Kremlin’s sustained campaign against exiled critics of its invasion of Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service (F.S.B.) stated its suspicion that the Russian Antiwar Committee was actively plotting to overthrow the government. This committee, established by the prominent anti-Kremlin businessman Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, is composed of a diverse group including exiled politicians, distinguished law professors, and other leading professionals.
The F.S.B. specifically implicated Mr. Khodorkovsky, who had previously served a decade in Russian prison on charges his legal team asserted were politically motivated, for allegedly forming a ‘terrorist organization.’ According to an official statement from the agency, the committee’s objectives included ‘seizing power by force and altering Russia’s constitutional order’ through financial support to Ukrainian military units and recruitment efforts within Russia.
This criminal indictment highlights the intense scrutiny President Vladimir V. Putin maintains over anti-Kremlin activities originating from abroad. It underscores Russia’s history of pursuing perceived adversaries across international boundaries, at times employing tactics such as poisonings and targeted shootings.
Russian authorities appear especially agitated by recent developments in Europe. The Council of Europe, a major intergovernmental body committed to democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law across the continent, recently passed a resolution. This resolution proposes the establishment of a ‘platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces.’
Such a forum aims to foster engagement between exiled Russians and European entities, focusing on their collective opposition to the Putin administration and addressing challenges faced by the hundreds of thousands of anti-Kremlin expatriates. Expected attendees include individuals who endorsed the Russian Antiwar Committee’s 2023 declaration, which unequivocally condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In its Tuesday announcement, the F.S.B. characterized the Council of Europe’s initiatives as attempts to establish ‘alternative power structures’ within Russia.
In response, Mr. Khodorkovsky took to social media, directly connecting the terrorism allegations to his committee’s endeavors to organize the proposed democracy forum.
He explained that the Kremlin perceives his committee’s collaboration with the Council of Europe as a ‘significant problem.’ This, he suggested, is the underlying reason for ‘this new investigation into an ‘overthrow of the government’, and false claims about ‘recruitment’ or ‘weapons for the Ukrainian army.’
A majority of the 23 individuals implicated by the F.S.B. are Russian professionals with no prior public political aspirations. Notably, some of these individuals previously served on Mr. Putin’s human rights council or acted as independent advisors to the government before the conflict began.
The Russian Antiwar Committee itself comprises a broad spectrum of Russian civil society figures. Its ranks include Mikhail M. Kasyanov, who once served as Mr. Putin’s first prime minister; Sergei Guriev, currently the dean of the London Business School; and other esteemed academics like political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann.
Established by Mr. Khodorkovsky soon after the 2022 Russian invasion, the group’s stated purpose is to ‘help address the consequences of Putin’s aggression.’ It has consistently maintained a stance against violence and has issued no public calls for such actions.