Russia's FSB Launches Criminal Case Against Several Prominent Figures

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has initiated a criminal case against a number of well-known figures on charges of violent seizure of power and terrorism.

The agency reported that among the accused are former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, political figures Vladimir Kara-Murza, Dmitry Gudkov, Garry Kasparov, Leonid Gozman, Maxim Reznik, and Anastasia Shevchenko. The list also includes former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Sergey Aleksashenko, economist Sergey Guriev, businessmen Boris Zimin, Evgeny Chichvarkin, and Mikhail Kokorich, political analyst Ekaterina Schulman, gallery owner Marat Gelman, journalist Viktor Shenderovich, journalists Evgeny Kiselyov and Kirill Martinov, lawyer Elena Lukyanova, actor Arthur Smolyaninov, scientist Konstantin Chumakov, biologist Evgeny Kunin, and others.

According to the FSB, the Russia Anti-War Committee was established by the aforementioned individuals after the war began in Ukraine, with the goal of “seizing power by force” and “changing the constitutional order” in Russia. The accused face potential life imprisonment.