The Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK), an organization of imprisoned opponent Alexei Navalny, will reopen its offices in Russia to fight “mobilization and war” in Ukraine, its representatives announced Tuesday. “It is time for us to reestablish our network to fight against the mobilization and the war,” said Ivan Zhdanov, one of Alexei Navalny’s comrades-in-fighter, in a video posted on social media.
This announcement comes as the Russian opposition has been crushed since the offensive by Moscow’s troops in Ukraine. The last major critics of President Vladimir Putin either emigrated or were imprisoned.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you work”
At the end of June, Alexei Navalny’s organizations had been described as “extremist” by the Russian justice, after months of increasing repression against his followers. The decision, made after more than three months of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, put de facto employees, volunteers and thousands of supporters across Russia under threat of legal action and imprisonment.
By decreeing partial mobilization, “Putin has brought war and suffering to every Russian family in every house,” he criticized Leoniv Volkov, another loyalist to Alexei Navalny, on Tuesday. “Now everyone is affected by the war,” added Ivan Zhdanov, who, like Leoniv Volkov, lives in exile abroad.
The return of the FBK network to the Russian regions should make it possible to make the voices of those who, in Russia, oppose military intervention in Ukraine, want to believe those close to Alexei Navalny.
“The fight can take different forms,” Leonid Volkov said, specifying that it is in particular about “providing legal assistance” to those who will need it. “It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you work, the main thing is that you are against this war,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
