Two Russian opposition activists flee to Ukraine
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 June 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Two Russian opposition activists flee to Ukraine, 16 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818ded6.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 16, 2017 14:48 GMT
By RFE/RL
Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny arrives for a hearing of his appeal at a court in Moscow on June 16.
Two activists from Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's Anticorruption Foundation (FBK) have fled to Ukraine after state media regulator Roskomnadzor launched investigations against them.
Vladislav Zdolnikov, an FBK IT consultant, and activist Aleksandr Brusentsev crossed into Ukraine on June 15.
The activists told the BBC that Roskomnadzor suspected them of illegally blocking access to some websites by using a vulnerability of the government's system for blocking banned websites.
Ukraine's Border Guard Service said on June 15 that two members of Navalny's foundation had asked for political asylum. However, the activists told the BBC that they had not asked for asylum and were not planning to do so.
They said they planned to stay in Ukraine temporarily until the situation around Roskomnadzor's allegations was cleared up.
Navalny and at least 1,500 of demonstrators were detained on June 12 in Moscow and other cities across Russia for participating in a wave of unauthorized anticorruption protests.
Navalny was jailed for 30 days, which an appeals court reduced to 25 days on June 16.
With reporting by BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
