In a move signaling intensified pressure on opposition figures, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) conducted a search of the Yekaterinburg residence of Mikhail Volkov, the 69-year-old father of Leonid Volkov, a former aide to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Mikhail Volkov, a distinguished mathematics professor specializing in algebra and theoretical computing, is suspected of financially supporting Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an organization banned in Russia as extremist. 

Leonid Volkov, currently residing abroad and labeled by Russian authorities as a foreign agent and extremist, condemned the search as an act of retribution for his political activities. This development follows the death of Navalny on February 16, 2024, in a Russian Arctic prison, an event that left the opposition movement fragmented and leaderless. 

The Kremlin continues to portray Navalny's associates as extremists collaborating with Western intelligence to destabilize Russia, while asserting President Vladimir Putin's strong domestic support. 

Source: Reuters