A relative of opposition leader Alexeï Navalny, Leonid Volkov*, has decided to temporarily suspend his activities as president of the Anti-Corruption Foundation* (ACF). This happened after journalist Alexei Venediktov* published letters signed by Volkov* to EU authorities demanding the lifting of sanctions against the owners of the Russian consortium Alfa Group. The opponent said he would take a “pause in his public socio-political activities” due to a “political mistake”.
The day before, on March 8, Venediktov* published a letter on his Telegram channel, which several Russian journalists and opposition figures sent to the European Commission with a request for the lifting of sanctions against the owners of the Alfa group, in particular Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven. The publication by ex-editor-in-chief Ekho Moskvy followed Navalny’s team publishing an investigation alleging the journalist received 680 million rubles from the Moscow mayor’s office for publishing My magazine. District.
According to Venediktov*, Leonid Volkov* was also among the signatories of the letter. However, he began to deny signing the document and said his signature had been “photoshopped” into it.
“I don’t know how and why this letter appeared in Venediktov* in this form,” the Navalny ally said on his Twitter.
The next day, Venediktov* published another letter to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Foundation* and signed only by Volkov*. It is dated October 14, 2022. In this letter, Volkov* writes about the ineffectiveness of the current EU sanctions policy and also claims that the “oligarchs” who are not part of the Russian government are the “biggest victims” of the sanctions. He cites the leaders of the Alfa group as an example and calls for the lifting of restrictions against them.
After the letter to Borrell was published, Volkov* admitted signing it and noted that it was “a serious political mistake.” The opponent also added that he “exceeded his powers” because he signed the letter “not in a personal capacity, but on behalf of the organization”. “I didn’t inform my colleagues and therefore entrapped them,” added Volkov*.
As an associate of Navalny explained when signing the letter, he “felt that the situation <…> (in Russia) was critical, and that it was possible, by setting a precedent, to trigger a chain reaction of public condemnations of the war and a split in the Russian elites.Volkov* said that in connection with the incident he decided to temporarily leave of president of the ACF*.“In this regard, I have decided to take a break from my public and political activities as Chairman of the Board of ACF International*. Soon we will meet with colleagues and they will make decisions on how they see the possible formats of our joint work (and whether they see it),” Volkov * wrote in his Telegram channel.In addition, Volkov* apologized to his supporters, his colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Foundation** (FBK) and Alexei Navalny. An associate of the opponent indicated that he would not comment further on this situation.RTVI sent requests to the European External Action Service and to the press office of the President of the European Commission.The Anti-Corruption Foundation* is a foreign structure of the Anti-Corruption Foundation**. It was formed in the summer of 2022, after the court recognized the FBK as an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia.
- registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the register of foreign agents
** recognized in Russia as an extremist organization, its activities are prohibited in Russia
