Photo: Kirill Kukhmar, Kommersant
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSS) has announced the opening of a criminal case against former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev on charges of attempting to seize power by force and creating a terrorist organisation. This was reported by the TASS news agency with reference to the FSS’s Public Relations Centre on Wednesday, 19 February.
Details of the charges
According to official information, the basis for the criminal case was “reliable information” about the creation of the political movement “Congress of People’s Deputies” (PiS) by Ponomaryov in Poland in November 2022.
In April 2023, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation declared the movement’s activities “undesirable” in Russia. The FSB claims that the main goal of the ZND is to organise a violent seizure of power in Russia.
According to the intelligence service, from 2022 to 2024, Ilya Ponomarev held seven sessions of the “Congress of People’s Deputies”, attended by more than 60 delegates, including former Russian parliamentarians of various levels.
Operations of the security forces
On the morning of 19 February, the FSS began searching the homes of Ponomaryov’s associates in nine regions of Russia. The investigative actions are part of a case of a violent seizure of power and the creation of a terrorist organisation.
The details of the searches and the names of the detainees have not yet been disclosed, but sources in the security forces report that these are close associates of the former MP who participated in the sessions of the PFD and other opposition events.
Ponomarev’s reaction
Ilya Ponomarev currently lives abroad and has repeatedly spoken out against the Kremlin’s policies. He is an active supporter of the Russian opposition and has participated in the creation of several opposition platforms. Following the news of the criminal case, Ponomarev wrote on his Telegram channel:
“This is yet another example of how the Putin regime is trying to silence the opposition. We will continue our fight for a free Russia, despite the intimidation.”
Political context
Ilya Ponomarev is the only member of the Russian State Duma who voted against the annexation of Crimea in 2014. After that, he emigrated from Russia and became an active critic of the Russian government. In Poland, he founded the “Congress of People’s Deputies”, which, according to him, is a platform for uniting the Russian opposition to change the government in Russia.
