The FSB opened cases of treason and terrorism against Ilya Ponomarev

The Federal Security Service of Russia initiated several criminal cases against the opposition politician Ilya Ponomarev. As reported by the state-owned RIA Novosti, citing a source in law enforcement agencies, Ponomarev is accused of treason, participation in a terrorist organization, and public incitement to terror. All these cases are combined into a single production, the source clarified.

Earlier, a criminal case was opened against Ponomarev under the article on participation in the activities of an “undesirable” organization. In 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs declared him wanted and arrested him in absentia under an article about so-called fakes about the Russian army.

Ponomarev himself commented on the news on his Facebook page: “By the way, I also combined all forms of the fight against Putinism in one production. And something tells me that my efficiency will be higher.”

• Ilya Ponomarev is a former member of the State Duma. In 2014, he spoke out against the annexation of Crimea, after which he left Russia. Received Ukrainian citizenship, lives in Kyiv. Ponomarev takes a strongly anti-Kremlin position and conducts active opposition activities. Organized the “Congress of People’s Deputies of Russia” in Poland, uniting former deputies of different levels who disagree with the Kremlin’s current policy.
• Also, according to his own words, he represents in the public field the Legion “Freedom of Russia”, in which Russian citizens fight in Ukraine on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the organization called “National Republican Army”. This is not confirmed.
• The Ministry of Justice of Russia included Ponomarev in the register of so-called foreign agents, and Rosfinmonitoring – in the list of extremists and terrorists.