A court in St. Petersburg has declared former State Duma deputy and journalist Alexander Nevzorov and his wife Lydia an “extremist union.”
This ruling allows the state to confiscate their property and assets in Russia and criminalizes any political activity by the couple within the country.
Implications of the Ruling
The ruling has considerable consequences for the couple, who have been outspoken critics of President Vladimir Putin.
According to Novaya Gazeta, the label of "extremist union" means that any remaining assets they have in Russia can be seized, and they are barred from engaging in political activities in Russia.
Nevzorov, who currently resides in the EU, responded on Telegram, saying, “Freedom is expensive. But no price can be too high.”
He claimed that Russian authorities tried to blackmail him for two months, offering a favorable court decision if he revised his stance on the war, which he refused, maintaining his criticism of Putin, whom he called “the Kremlin ghoul.”
Background on Alexander Nevzorov
Nevzorov rose to fame in the 1980s as the host of a political talk show on Leningrad television during the glasnost reforms of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
He pursued a political career after the Soviet Union collapsed, serving as a State Duma deputy from 1993 to 2007.
Initially a supporter of Putin during the 2012 election, Nevzorov turned against the Kremlin, opposing the 2014 annexation of Crimea and criticizing subsequent policies.
In February 2023, Nevzorov was found guilty in absentia of discrediting the Russian military after he condemned its assault on a nursing home in Mariupol, Ukraine, and reported on atrocities in Bucha. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and later designated a “foreign agent” by the Justice Ministry.
In early June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a secret decree granting Ukrainian citizenship to the Nevzorovs for their “outstanding services to the country.”
