A blogger, Mikhail Svetov*, was arrested in absentia on charges of…
A blogger, Mikhail Svetov*, was arrested in absentia on charges of violating foreign agent regulations. The Savelovsky District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant against liberal libertarian and founder of SVTV, Mikhail Svetov, for allegedly failing to comply with the requirements for 'foreign agents'.
Consensus
- Mikhail Svetov was arrested in absentia by the Savelovsky District Court in Moscow on July 20, 2025.
- Svetov is listed as a foreign agent in Russia's registry maintained by the Ministry of Justice.
- The arrest was based on Article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code regarding evasion of obligations under foreign agents legislation.
- Svetov has been previously fined multiple times for administrative violations related to his status as a foreign agent.
- Svetov is currently outside Russia and has been in federal search since November 2023.
- The case was initiated after the investigation found that Svetov failed to comply with requirements imposed on foreign agents.
Points of divergence
- Svetov was fined in June 2025 for violating the rules of activity as a foreign agent, amounting to 40,000 rubles. — kommersant
- The case against Svetov was triggered by his performance of a song about Stepan Bandera in September 2021, which authorities deemed rehabilitation of Nazism. — vm
- No prior public information existed about the criminal case before its announcement on July 20, 2024. — fontanka
- Svetov was previously subjected to a criminal investigation in 2019 over photos of his ex-girlfriend posted on Instagram and later arrested for organizing a rally in support of Alexei Navalny. — mediazona
Coverage (13 sources)
- Foreign Agent Mikhail Svetov Sent to Pretrial Detention in Moscow by Default — Вести
- Court has arrested blogger Mikhail Svetov in absentia on charges of violating foreign agent rules — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Foreign agent Mikhail Svetov arrested in absentia — Коммерсантъ
- Libertarian politician Mikhail Svetov arrested in absentia in Russia — Вечерняя Москва
- Libertarian Mikhail Svetov arrested in absentia in Russia — Фонтанка
- Libertarian Mikhail Svetov arrested in absentia on criminal charges for being a 'foreign agent' — Медиазона
- Former advisor to Ilya Yashin arrested in case of military 'fake news' — Новая газета Европа
- Former advisor of Ilya Yashin arrested in Moscow's Krasnoselsky district on 'fake news' about the military case — Meduza
- Activist Elena Perpelelytsa of the 'Yabloko' Party Arrested in Moscow — Медиазона
- Member of the 'Yabloko' Party Elena Perpelitsa Arrested in Moscow — Коммерсантъ
- Journalist Anastasia Zolnikova of Meduza arrested in absentia in Russia on July 2, 2026 — Вечерняя Москва
- Russian court issues arrest warrant for 'Meduza' author Asya Zolnikova on charges of involvement in a 'undesirable' organization — Meduza
- Moscow Court Detains 'Meduza' Author Asya Zolnikova in Absentia on Charges of Participation in a 'Unwanted' Organization — Медиазона
Key entities
- Moscow
- Mikhail Svetov
- Russia
- Asea Zolnikova
- Elena Perepelitsa
- Apple
- Meduza
- Tushinsky District Court
- Savelovsky District Court
- Krasnoselsky District
- Mediasphere
- SK
More on Mikhail Svetov
- The Ministry of Justice expanded the list of 'foreign agents'. The…
- The Libertarian Party of Russia announced the suspension of its…