A Moscow Court Has Arrested Yevgenia Chirikova in Absentia
Koptevo District Court in Moscow has ordered the arrest in absentia of activist Yevgenia Chirikova, accusing her of "deliberately spreading false information about the actions of the Russian army". She has been placed on an international wanted list, according to the court’s statement to the RIA Novosti Russian news agency.
Yevgenia Chirikova commented on the situation, saying:
“I believe this arrest in absentia is linked to the work of my team on the media project Activatica. On November 11, we released a film "Prisoners" about the terror in occupied Ukrainian territories, as well as the torture and killings of thousands of Ukrainian civilian captives. While we were working on this film, the Russian authorities initiated the fifth criminal case against me under terrorism charges. After the film release, Russian security forces searched my parents’ apartment in Moscow, where I have not lived for 26 years. My parents were taken in for questioning and listed as witnesses in all my criminal cases, including those related to "terrorism".
My arrest in absentia took place on December 11, the same day our film Prisoners was screened in Zurich. I believe the Putin regime is deeply angered by my team’s efforts to expose the truth about the terror inflicted by Putin’s forces on Ukrainians in occupied territories. This only proves we are on the right path, and we must continue to fight against Putin’s evil.”
On November 22, security forces searched the Moscow apartment of Chirikova’s parents. According to the lawyer, her parents are listed as witnesses in criminal cases related to “disinformation” about the military and “justifying terrorism.”
In November, Moscow’s Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against Chirikova for “justifying terrorism.” She had previously been charged in absentia with participating in a "terrorist organization, organizing and financing terrorism, and spreading false information about the Russian military".
Since 2015, Yevgenia Chirikova has lived in Estonia. She is a member of the Council of Free Russia Forum, which is banned in Russia. She is known for her past activism as the leader of the Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest and as a member of the opposition’s Coordination Council.
In January 2024, Russia’s Ministry of Justice added Chirikova to its registry of individuals designated as “foreign agents.”