Latest news with #LeonidVolkov
Russia Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia declares Yale University ‘undesirable'
Russia has banned Yale University from operating within its territory, accusing the Connecticut-based institution of meddling in domestic affairs and attempting to destabilize its economy. The Prosecutor General's Office added Yale to the list of 'undesirable' organizations on Tuesday. 'The university's activities are aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, enforcing an international blockade, undermining its economy, and destabilizing the country's socio-economic and political situation,' the office said in a statement. Prosecutors claim that the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs has been used to 'train opposition leaders from foreign countries.' Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny and his close associate Leonid Volkov participated in the program in 2010 and 2018, respectively. Navalny died in prison in February 2024 while serving a lengthy sentence on extremism charges. In 2021, a Russian court banned Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) under extremism laws. Last month, Volkov, who lives outside Russia, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison for his activities as an FBK leader. Prosecutors alleged that FBK used 'the knowledge and techniques' acquired at Yale to 'escalate protest activities in Russia.' Prosecutors also claimed that Yale has worked to create a 'legal framework' for using frozen Russian assets to fund the Ukrainian army. Moscow regards the freezing and seizure of its assets related to the Ukraine conflict as illegal and tantamount to theft. Since 2022, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management, and his team have campaigned to pressure foreign companies to cut ties with Moscow and advocated for tougher sanctions on Russia. In a 2024 Fortune article, Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, research director of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, credited themselves with helping the US Treasury design sanctions targeting Russia's oil trade.
Toronto Star
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russian court sentences Navalny ally to 18 years in absentia as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia have convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison Wednesday after being found guilty on criminal charges.
Russia Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Navalny aide gets 18-year prison sentence
A Russian court has sentenced a close associate of the late opposition figure Alexey Navalny to 18 years behind bars in absentia. Leonid Volkov was charged with creating an extremist group, rehabilitating Nazism, and funding extremist activities. Volkov joined Navalny in 2013 and fled to the EU in 2019. Two years later, Russia put him on the international wanted list on charges of illegally enticing minors to participate in unauthorized protests. In a statement announcing the sentence, the court also fined Volkov 2 million rubles ($25,000) and banned him from administering any websites for six years. The list of charges includes two counts of 'politically-motivated vandalism' and spreading disinformation about the Russian Armed Forces. Volkov mocked the court's decision in a post on X. He wrote that although the sentence itself was 'harsh,' the fine was miniscule, adding that he was 'not even barred from using the internet' and vowed to make good use of it. He became the head of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in July 2021, a month after it was designated an extremist group in Russia. In 2022, Volkov was designated a 'foreign agent' and added to Russia's terrorism and extremism watchlist together with Ivan Zhdanov, another Navalny associate, who also resides outside the country. The foreign agent status is reserved for those found to be assisting foreign organizations deemed hostile to Russia's interests, as well as for financing such activity. Navalny died at a penal colony in February 2024 while serving his sentence. He was initially imprisoned in 2021 for violating the terms of an earlier suspended sentence. In 2023, he was given an additional 19 years on multiple extremism-related charges. The Russian authorities have since issued arrest warrants against his close associates, including his widow, on various extremism-related charges. All of them reside outside Russia.
Toronto Star
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia on Friday convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison after being found guilty on criminal charges.
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia on Friday convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny , was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison after being found guilty on criminal charges.
