Rosfinmonitoring included Pskov resident Artem Tarasov and Kaliningrad resident Nikolai Gorelov, who participated in the Berlin Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia, on the list of terrorists and extremists. This was brought to the attention of a telegram channel that publishes registry updates.
In a conversation with OVD-Info, Gorelov suggested that a criminal case could be opened against him and Tarasov, but under what article is unknown. Probably, we are talking about an article about extremism. In mid-December, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin , ordered the initiation of a criminal case in connection with statements made at a forum in Germany and Italy.
The Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia took place on December 11, 12 and 14 in Rome and Berlin. Regional oppositionists spoke at it and discussed the prospects for post-colonial and post-war Russia. The publication “Idel.Realii” released a large report from the forum.
In 2020, Nikolai Gorelov was accused in a criminal case for insulting the military glory and memorable dates of Russia (Part 3 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code). The case was opened because of his posts on VKontakte about the violence of the Red Army against the civilian German population, about “repressions against the Red Army soldiers themselves when they were imprisoned in the Gulag” and other topics.
In June 2020, the Investigative Committee terminated the criminal case against Gorelov due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for the crime. During the investigation of the criminal case, Gorelov, at the request of the investigator, had to visit a psychiatrist.
- In March 2023, the Prosecutor General’s Office recognized the “Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum” registered in Poland as an “undesirable” organization. The forum is a discussion platform for representatives of the Russian opposition and foreign specialists. The main goals of the organization include decentralization and decolonization of Russia