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More than 10 cases against Russian scientists and university staff over donations to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation reached Moscow courts in the six months before an October 20 report, according to Mediazona. The cases concern alleged financing of an organization designated extremist by Russian authorities; reporting links at least three investigations to an FSB department whose role in the cases is not fully clear.
More than 10 cases against Russian scientists and university staff over donations to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) reached Moscow courts in the six months before October 20, Mediazona reported. The cases involve allegations of financing an organization Russian authorities have designated extremist, and the reporting identifies an FSB department as an initiator in at least three investigations.
Mediazona found that the prosecutions involve donations made to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a group founded by Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in prison in 2024. The donations are being treated by Russian authorities as financing extremism. The report does not provide a complete list of defendants or specify the total number of cases nationwide; its count covers cases that reached Moscow courts over six months.
At least three cases against scientists were initiated by the 4th Department of Directorate P within the FSB’s Fourth Service, Mediazona reported. The service is also known as the Economic Security Service. The department appears in multiple cases involving scientists and donations to FBK, according to the outlet, but the report does not establish that it initiated every prosecution included in the court count.
One case cited in the report is that of Sofya Rozenfeld, a biologist who holds a Doctor of Sciences degree, Russia’s highest academic degree, and specializes in Arctic birds. She was sentenced to prison, Mediazona reported. Court-file testimony from an officer with the Center E anti-extremism unit says that the officer received preliminary inquiry materials on Rozenfeld from the FSB department. Those materials said she “may be involved in financing the FBK.”
Prosecutions Reach Academic Staff
The court cases place scientists and university employees among people prosecuted over financial support for an organization the state has labeled extremist. The reported count indicates that such cases have reached Moscow courts repeatedly in a short period, rather than involving only the one prominent case described in detail. It does not, by itself, show the scale of prosecutions across Russia or establish a nationwide trend.
The involvement of an FSB department associated with economic security and industry oversight adds another dimension to the cases. The Dossier Center has previously reported that officers in Directorate P provide counterintelligence support for industry and oversee state technology corporations including Rostec, Rusnano and Roscosmos. A scientist who spoke to Mediazona said the Fourth Service also oversees Skoltech and HSE University. These descriptions provide context for the department’s remit, but do not prove why it became involved in individual donation investigations.
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How the FSB Department Appears
The Fourth Service is also called the FSB’s Economic Security Service. The Dossier Center’s earlier reporting described Directorate P as providing “counterintelligence support for industry” and overseeing major state technology companies. Mediazona’s account connects that department to the preliminary inquiry materials in Rozenfeld’s case and says it is mentioned in other prosecutions involving donations to FBK.
The case materials described by Mediazona distinguish between an inquiry and a court finding: an officer said the materials indicated Rozenfeld “may be involved” in financing FBK. Her reported prison sentence is a separate court outcome. The available report does not provide the full judgment, the amount or date of the donations, or details of the evidence presented in each case.
“Officers in Directorate P provide “counterintelligence support for industry.””
— The Dossier Center, as previously reported
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Scope and Case Details Remain Unclear
The report establishes that more than 10 cases reached Moscow courts in the six-month period, but does not say how many resulted in convictions, prison sentences or other outcomes. It also does not state whether the cases involved one coordinated investigation or separate inquiries. The reported minimum of three cases initiated by the FSB department should not be read as the department’s confirmed role in all cases.
Details about the donations, including their amounts, dates and the evidence used in each prosecution, are not given in the source material. The account also does not explain whether defendants were accused solely on the basis of donations or faced additional allegations. Those points remain necessary to understand the circumstances of individual cases.
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Further Court Records May Clarify
The next developments will depend on proceedings in the cases that have reached Moscow courts and on further reporting about their outcomes. Court decisions and case records could clarify what evidence prosecutors cited, when the donations were made and how the courts assessed the allegations. The source material does not identify scheduled hearings, appeals or an official response from the FSB, so no specific next date or announcement can be confirmed.
For now, the confirmed picture is limited to Mediazona’s court count, its reporting on at least three cases linked to the FSB department, and the details it provides about Rozenfeld’s prosecution. Any broader conclusions about the frequency, coordination or institutional impact of the cases would require additional evidence.
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Key Questions
How many cases reached Moscow courts?
More than 10 cases involving scientists and university staff over donations to FBK reached Moscow courts in the six months covered by Mediazona’s report.
What are the prosecutions about?
They concern donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Russian authorities have designated extremist. Authorities are treating the donations as financing extremism.
What role did the FSB department have?
Mediazona reported that the FSB’s 4th Department of Directorate P initiated at least three cases against scientists and is mentioned in other cases. The report does not establish that it initiated every prosecution in the court count.
Who is Sofya Rozenfeld?
Rozenfeld is a biologist specializing in Arctic birds who holds Russia’s highest academic degree. Mediazona reported that she was sentenced to prison; the source also describes testimony referring to preliminary materials that said she “may be involved” in financing FBK.
What remains unknown about the cases?
The report does not give a complete defendant list, the outcomes of all cases, donation amounts or dates, or a full account of evidence in each prosecution. It also does not confirm whether the investigations were coordinated.
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