Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal case against Leonid Volkov, a Russian opposition politician currently based in Vlnius, on suspicion of justifying Russia’s armed aggression, the independent outlet Sota reported.
The case stems from Volkov’s comments about Denis Kapustin, a far-right militant and founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps, and Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s presidential office and former military intelligence chief.
In private messages made public by a former associate, Volkov welcomed the reported death of Kapustin, whom he called a Nazi, and harshly criticised senior Ukrainian officials, including Budanov.
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Volkov is a former associate of the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and head of political projects at the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). He has been living in Lithuania since 2019.
According to Ukraine’s news outlet Glavkom, quoted by Meduza, the criminal proceedings were opened under articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code covering justification of Russia’s aggression and insulting the honour and dignity of military personnel.
The case was launched following a complaint by lawmaker Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk of the ruling Servant of the People party. If convicted, Volkov could face up to eight years in prison.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has not officially announced the case against Volkov.
On January 5, former FBK staff member Anna Tyron, who now works with the Russian Volunteer Corps, published on Facebook a message Volkov had sent her after reports of Kapustin’s death. At the time, it was not known that the death had been staged. In the message, Volkov referred to Kapustin as a “Nazi” and said he and the Russian Volunteer Corps were carrying out “murky tasks” for Budanov. Volkov later said he regretted writing the message, but was critical of the lionisation of neo-nazi militants within pro-Ukrainian Russian opposition.
On January 6, Lithuania’s Migration Department said it had asked the State Security Department to assess whether Volkov’s statements pose a threat to national security. If authorities conclude that such a threat exists, Volkov could lose his Lithuanian residence permit.
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