Latest news with #SimeonBoikov
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Russia-backed fund Pravfond that bankrolled 'Aussie Cossack' sanctioned by Australia over anti-Ukraine propaganda
A Russian-backed organisation that has bankrolled the legal defence of alleged spies and criminals has been sanctioned by the federal government just weeks after an investigation detailed its support for Australia's most prominent pro-Putin propagandist. The joint investigation between the ABC and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed the organisation, Pravfond, had paid the legal bills of Simeon Boikov, also known as "Aussie Cossack", and successfully lobbied for him to be granted Russian citizenship. The sanctioning of Pravfond means Australian individuals and entities will no longer be able to make assets available to or for the benefit of Pravfond, and any assets held on behalf of or controlled by Pravfond must be frozen. Australian financial authorities must also closely scrutinise its transactions. Formally known as "Foundation to Support and Defend the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad", Pravfond was founded in 2012 with the stated goal of defending the rights of expat Russians, primarily by offering assistance if they get into legal trouble. Previous reporting has indicated that it has helped pay for the legal defence of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and hit man Vadim Krasikov, who murdered a Chechen militant in Berlin in 2019. Several top Pravfond figures, including its deputy director, Vladimir Pozdorovkin, have been identified as former Russian intelligence officers. The joint investigation drew on a cache of 50,000 internal emails to reveal Pravfond's support for Boikov, who had been hiding from authorities in the Russian consulate in Sydney since December 2022 after he assaulted a pro-Ukraine protester. The emails detail how Boikov's Sydney-based wife applied for at least three rounds of legal aid from Pravfond and the organisation helped him at least once, paying thousands of dollars in legal fees to his Sydney solicitors. They also showed Pravfond successfully pushed for Boikov's Russian citizenship — publicly confirmed in a 2023 decree from President Vladimir Putin. Asked why, given Pravfond's alleged intelligence ties and prior support of the likes of Viktor Bout and Vadim Krasikov, he thought it was appropriate to apply for funding, Boikov said he was unaware of these facts. "I didn't know about this fund … but even if I knew, even if I knew [them], I had no problems, because I think they're all heroes. They're my compatriots. "I think Viktor Bout's a great guy … he's fantastic. He's a patriot. I'm a patriot." From inside the consulate, Boikov regularly broadcasts pro-Russian propaganda, including support for Russia's war in Ukraine, via the Telegram app, where he has tens of thousands of subscribers. Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced Pravfond had been added to its list of sanctioned individuals and entities. A spokesperson for the department told the ABC that Pravfond "has been identified as supporting individuals and entities attempting to influence public opinion abroad, including in relation to Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine". "Australia has now imposed more than 1,500 sanctions in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine," the spokesperson said. "We will continue to maintain pressure on Russia for its malign actions. "Australia has been clear that those enabling Russia's illegal invasion will face consequences." A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Australia referred the ABC to comments by the spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, after the investigation into Pravfond was published in May. Based on the cache of internal emails, the OCCRP published stories about Pravfond with 28 media partners, including the ABC. Ms Zakharova said at the time that the reports were "fake stories" and that Pravfond was "a purely human rights structure" that had gotten "in the hair of hateful Russophobes". "This organisation, that really helps Russians protect their legal rights abroad, is currently the target of a deluge of slander and outright disinformation," she said. A Pravfond spokesperson said it "categorically reject[ed] the allegations and designations imposed by the Australian authorities". "The Foundation's mission is solely humanitarian — to protect the rights of Russian compatriots abroad in accordance with international law," it said in a statement. The spokesperson said support for Boikov was provided "at the request of his family and exclusively on a humanitarian basis", and the fund "has no organisational or financial ties to any state or intelligence agencies". No system is 100 per cent secure, but ProtonMail can be used to protect your identity by using end-to-end encryption. Please read the terms and conditions to work out the best method of communication for you.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Sean Nicholls
Simeon Boikov, the pro-Putin propagandist hiding from police in the Russian consulate in Sydney, received money and support from a Kremlin-backed organisation that has bankrolled the legal defence of alleged spies and criminals, new documents reveal. 50m ago 50 minutes ago Wed 21 May 2025 at 4:00am In a secret video recorded in his hospital room, terminally ill gambling industry whistleblower Troy Stolz speaks out against his former employer, ClubsNSW, and the harm caused by poker machines. Wed 10 May Wed 10 May Wed 10 May 2023 at 11:40pm A senior Liberal minister has spoken for the first time about how a powerful Australian gambling lobby group forced him out of the portfolio and has called for an investigation into its influence over government. 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ABC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
'Aussie Cossack' Simeon Boikov's legal fees paid by fund linked to Russian intelligence
Simeon Boikov, the pro-Putin propagandist hiding in the Russian consulate in Sydney from police , received money and support from a Kremlin-backed organisation that has bankrolled the legal defence of alleged spies and criminals, new documents reveal. Previous reporting has indicated that the organisation, Pravfond, has helped pay for the legal defence of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and hit man Vadim Krasikov, who murdered a Chechen militant in Berlin in 2019. Several top Pravfond figures, including its deputy director Vladimir Pozdorovkin, have been identified as former intelligence officers. Formally known as "Foundation to Support and Defend the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad," Pravfond was founded in 2012 with the stated goal of defending the rights of expat Russians, primarily by offering assistance if they get into legal trouble. Representatives of European intelligence agencies said they considered Pravfond to be an instrument of Russian intelligence. Marta Tuul, a spokesperson for KAPO, Estonia's security service, said the foundation was created to fund influence operations under the cover of combating discrimination. "It is an extension of the Russian intelligence services, enabling the control and direction of the Russian-speaking diaspora," Ms Tuul said. Normunds Mežviets, director of Latvia's State Security Service, said that his agency had been investigating Pravfond for years. "We have seen … that in connection with this fund, individuals who present themselves as independent, let's say, experts, researchers, employees of this fund, are actually staff officers of Russian intelligence services," Mr Mežviets said. He did not provide specific examples. Journalists from Danish public broadcaster DR obtained an archive of nearly 50,000 emails from Pravfond and shared it with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and 28 media partners including the ABC. The archive exposes the inner workings of a foundation used by the Russian government to advance its interests around the world — defending spies, maintaining networks of influence, and funding propaganda — all under the banner of fighting for the human rights of Russian "compatriots". The emails reveal the extraordinary level of support offered to Boikov over several years. It has included thousands of dollars in funding, lobbying of officials on his behalf, as well as petitioning for him to be granted Russian citizenship. Boikov, who goes by the nickname "Aussie Cossack", has been hiding from authorities in the consulate since December 2022 after he assaulted a pro-Ukraine protester in central Sydney. At the time, Boikov had just been released from jail after serving almost three months for breaching a court order suppressing the name of an alleged child sex offender who was facing trial. He was on parole when he committed the assault and fled to the consulate to avoid an arrest warrant. He was convicted in absentia. According to the emails, Boikov's Sydney-based wife applied for at least three rounds of legal aid from Pravfond, and the organisation helped him at least once. They reveal that Sydney City Crime, a legal firm in which lawyer Mark Davis was a partner, received thousands of dollars in legal fees as a result of Pravfond's funding. In one email, Boikov's wife attaches an application form seeking $US23,700 ($36,850) between October and November 2022 to "ensure further representation of Semyon Boykov's interests in the courts of Australia". She notes that on July 13, 2022, Pravfond had made another payment towards Boikov's legal fees, which was used to pay $11,000 to Mr Davis's firm. The following year, in a separate application, Boikov's wife asks for $US19,500 ($30,252) more funding from Pravfond, attaching an invoice from Sydney City Crime dated March 6, 2023, for $28,600. She says that the money was being requested to help fund Boikov's legal defence over the assault, explaining that Mr Davis and another lawyer are "are negotiating with the state police to drop the charges". No system is 100 per cent secure, but ProtonMail can be used to protect your identity by using end-to-end encryption. Please read the terms and conditions to work out the best method of communication for you. Boikov told the ABC that he couldn't comment directly on some matters in the correspondence that were covered by client/lawyer privilege, including the precise amounts of money that were granted to him by Pravfond. But he said the idea to apply to Pravfond "would have been probably a recommendation from the embassy itself, which is very unusual because previously they've never supported [me], and I think it was just out of sympathy to my situation — that everyone was shocked that I could be imprisoned". "Such a heavy sentence imposed as a national security interest, extreme high risk inmate. "And everyone everyone knew, including the embassy that that is outrageous." Mr Davis told the ABC that he was unable to comment unless Boikov wished to surrender client/lawyer privilege. "I can say that we never had any dealings with the organisation you are referring to or any other Russian organisation in relation to Mr Boikov or his legal fees," Mr Davis said. "We issued invoices to Mr Boikov and Mr Boikov or Mrs Boikov would pay them. There was no more complexity than that. He said the firm no longer acted for Boikov. Asked why, given Pravfond's alleged intelligence ties and prior support of the likes of Viktor Bout and Vadim Krasikov, he thought it was appropriate to apply for funding, Boikov said he was unaware of these facts. "I didn't know about this fund … but even if I knew, even if I knew [them], I had no problems, because I think they're all heroes. They're my compatriots. "I think Viktor Bout's a great guy … he's fantastic. He's a patriot. I'm a patriot." Pravfond describes Boikov in internal documents and letters to other agencies as a Russian patriot unjustly persecuted for airing his views. The organisation has also lobbied on Boikov's behalf. During his stay at the consulate, Boikov and his wife complained of him being mistreated by the Consul General, Igor Arzhaev. According to a Pravfond report contained in the emails, Boikov's wife wrote to Pravfond complaining that "psychological pressure is being exerted on S. Boykov in the RZU [consulate], which is undermining his strength and health". "In her letter of appeal, she, in particular, points out that, on the instructions of Consul General I.N. Arzhaev, S. Boykov was prohibited from leaving his apartment for several months, the door was bolted from the outside, restrictions were imposed on contacts with his wife, and he was deprived of access to the Internet. "I.N. Arzhaev made offensive statements about S. Boykov, blackmailed him and made threats, and sent complaints about him to Moscow," the report said. Boikov told the ABC that the allegations in the letter were true and that Mr Arzhaev "would justify the psychological pressure, the prison-like conditions … by saying, 'You're an Australian citizen. And you are in the section of the consulate which is for diplomats only.'" In response, according to the emails, Pravfond convened meetings with high-level Russian diplomats and wrote letters advocating for Boikov's interests. "On August 14, 2023, the Executive Director sent a letter to [Boikov's wife] with a message that the Foundation had drawn the attention of interested departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the problems of S. Boykov," a report by Pravfond said. "This, in our understanding, generally contributed to the normalisation of the situation around him. The Foundation expressed its readiness to continue supporting S. Boykov in his activities for the benefit of the Russian world." However, in May last year, Boikov again wrote to Pravfond claiming that his lawyer, Mr Davis, had told him that Mr Arzhaev "dreams of giving me up to the Australian police". "For some reason, Arzhaev is sure that he will achieve this in the near future," Boikov wrote. "I ask you to take measures to stop any attempt by Arzhaev to betray me and hand me over to the police/special services of Australia. "I am ready to leave the Consulate General even today, but only directly to Russia. I categorically refuse to be handed over from the Consulate to the police/special services/UFSIN [prisons service] of Australia. "I trust only the Russian government and am waiting for the issue of my exfiltration to the Russian Federation to be resolved." Mr Arzhaev is no longer Consul General in Sydney and did not respond to a request for comment. From inside the consulate, Boikov regularly broadcasts pro-Russian propaganda via the Telegram app, where he has over 90,000 subscribers. Between October 2023 and last December, he was listed on the Australian government's foreign influence transparency register due to his employment by Russian state-owned media group Rossiya Segodnya — or Russia Today — which owns and operates the propaganda channel Sputnik. According to the register, Boikov's role was to "write information and multimedia materials in English and Russian on international, socio-political, socio-economic and other topics relevant in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region for posting on the foreign principal's internet resources". The emails show Boikov asked Pravfond to help him secure more room for his broadcast studio inside the consulate, following his listing on the transparency register and work with Russia Today. "Since I am completely legally engaged in journalism in Australia and officially signed a contract with the Russian federal information agency 'Russia Today', I ask you to assist in obtaining additional premises (room) in the Consulate building to expand its television and radio studio, in which information materials for the International Information Agency 'Russia Today' will be prepared and covered," he wrote. "According to my information, my studio in Australia is the most active and permanent official information structure carrying out propaganda of Russia's interests in the English-speaking world." Boikov told the ABC that this request was not granted by the consulate. Most significantly, the documents show Pravfond pushed for his Russian citizenship — publicly confirmed in a 2023 decree from President Vladimir Putin. "Thanks to your petition and support, on September 27, 2023, a Presidential decree was signed granting me Russian citizenship," Boikov wrote. "The Russian passport was handed to me after the oath on the territory of the General Consulate in Sydney. "For me, this is a huge joyful event, which I have been striving for [for] many years. "I express my sincere gratitude to you and the staff of the Foundation for the Protection of the Rights of Compatriots for your assistance in resolving this issue." Boikov goes on to assure Pravfond that he will be continuing his propaganda activities as a Russian citizen. "I continue my active pro-Russian activities, now as a citizen of Russia living far from my country … a constant information war is being waged with anti-Australian and anti-Russian forces of evil on the international radio station TNT and Sputnik." TNT Radio was an Australian online station that hosted right-wing political views and conspiracy theorists before shutting down last year. Boikov told the ABC that he believed his pro-Russian propaganda work encouraged Pravfond to support his citizenship application. "I'm sure that makes me more appealing," he said. "It shouldn't be unusual that Pravfond supports people, because what's the common factor here for our pro-Russian position such as I and others who have probably come into contact with Pravfond? "The common factor is that most of us, myself included, [as a] very clear example, are indeed persecuted for the fact that we stick up for Russia." Pravfond, its director Alexander Udaltsov, its deputy director Vladimir Pozdorovkin, the Russian consulate in Sydney and Mr Arzhaev did not respond to requests for comment.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Experts reject claim Australian PM naturalised migrants to influence election
"Now you know why Albanese granted a record number of Australian citizenships to immigrants at the start of 2025," says a Facebook post published April 1, 2025 by Simeon Boikov, a pro-Kremlin activist known by his moniker Aussie Cossack whom AFP has previously fact-checked for spreading misinformation (archived link). "The bastards are literally importing votes via excessive immigration because they know that local Australian voters are leaving the major parties on (sic) droves." The post shares a screenshot of an article saying Australia will hold its "biggest election of all time" as "an extra 710,000 voters have signed up with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)". Australia is set to go to the polls on May 3 with "more voters on the electoral roll than ever before", according to the AEC (archived here and here). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is polling neck-and-neck with opposition leader Peter Dutton, a former immigration minister who advocates cutting migration by 25 percent (archived link). Similar claims have spread across social media, with comments suggesting some users believe new migrants make up the majority of first-time voters. "Most of them are Albo's illegal insurgents that have no legal right to vote or have access to any form of welfare," one user said. Another said: "That comes as no surprise. Just like Biden did with the open southern border ... they should do jail time for that," alluding to a similar false claim that surfaced ahead of the US presidential election in 2024. A spokesperson for the AEC told AFP on April 9 that while new Australian citizens make up approximately 30 percent of growth in the electoral roll, the vast majority "is not caused by migration, but by Australians turning 18 and enrolling to vote for the first time." "It is not correct to say that the 710,000 new voters added to the electoral roll since the 2022 federal election are immigrants." Tiziana Torresi, a migration expert from the University of Adelaide, also said the conferral of Australian citizenship to migrants is "strictly regulated" and "the idea that such a process could be applied en masse in such a short frame of time is far-fetched" (archived link). Torresi told AFP on the same day that to be eligible for citizenship, a person must have permanent residency, have lived in Australia for at least four years, and meet strict criteria, including passing an English language test and being physically present in the country for specific periods of time (archived link). This means that new citizens enrolled to vote in the upcoming election would have arrived in Australia before May 2021 -- well before the Albanese government. Graeme Orr, a law professor at the University of Queensland, pushed back on the idea that the government can manipulate citizenship numbers for political gain (archived link). "Permanent migrants can choose to apply for citizenship -- governments do not impose it," he told AFP on April 10, noting that Australia's naturalisation policies have remained unchanged for years. The latest naturalisation figures show more than 192,000 people became Australian citizens between 2023 and 2024, which Orr said is in line with past trends (archived link). "Curiously, the number is actually lower than in the year before Covid, under a conservative government," he added. He also dismissed the idea that new citizens vote as a bloc, given their diverse background "from liberal democracies, like the UK and New Zealand, and conservative countries in South Asia and the Middle East". AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about the Australian election here.
