The ally of Navalny Ashurkov asked for political asylum in the UK

The Executive Director of the Corruption Foundation, the associate of Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Ashurkov, said on Twitter that he had asked for asylum in the UK. “Some time ago, I asked the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland asylum in connection with political persecution by the Russian authorities. I have no other comments on this subject,” he wrote.

Earlier, Izvestia reported that Ashurkov submitted a petition for the provision of asylum in July this year, motivating him with political persecution in Russia. The former alpha group top manager in July was put on a federal wanted list on charges of embezzlement of funds raised during the Navalny election campaign to the post of mayor of Moscow. At the same time, Navalny himself repeatedly stated that he had no complaints against Ashurkov, and also called his case politically motivated.

According to investigators, in the summer of 2013, Konstantin Yankauskas, Nikolai Lyaskin and Vladimir Ashurkov transferred one million rubles to the account of Alexei Navalny, who was a candidate in the election of the capital's mayor. Then they turned to the Internet users with a request to transfer money to their electronic wallets to reimburse the Navalny funds transferred to the account, as well as support his political activity. More than 10 million rubles accumulated in the accounts, according to the investigation, were assigned to the suspects.

Konstantin Yankauskas is placed under house arrest, Nikolai Lyaskin is under the recognizance not to leave.

Since May, Ashurkov has been in the UK with his civil wife Alexandrina Markvo and her daughter Ariadn Senatorova. Here, Ashurkov and Markvo had a common son Nikolai. Ashurkov, Markvo and their children were issued registration cards that give the right to live in England before a decision on political asylum.

"Opposition politicians are often subjected to repression. During my location in the UK, the investigating authorities of the Russian Federation was opened a criminal case. If I return, I am arrested, the maintenance of inhuman conditions, torture and an unfair court," Izvestia quoted the Ashurkov questionnaire for the provision of asylum.