Saratov activist convicted in absentia on charges of involvement in an extremist organization

Konstantin Leifer was found guilty under CC. 1.1 and 2 art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code - presumably, he was accused of involvement in the structures of Alexei Navalny.

On June 2, 2026, the office of the Investigative Committee for the Saratov Region reported on a sentencing in absentia to a 42-year-old native of the regional capital. He was found guilty under CC. 1.1 and 2 art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (involvement in the activities of an extremist organization and participation in it) and was sentenced to four and a half years in a general regime colony.

According to investigators, from August 2021 to May 2023, the accused was a member of an extremist organization and, using videos, promoted its activities, attracting new members to the organization. What kind of organization it was and the name of the person involved in the case is not stated in the press release of the Investigative Committee.

We are probably talking about 42-year-old Konstantin Leifer: on May 21, 2026, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Saratov considered his criminal case under the same charges. Presumably, the activist was accused of involvement in the headquarters of Alexei Navalny; the decision to ban them came into force in August 2021. At the same time, Leifer himself regularly published videos and posts in support of Alexei Navalny on his YouTube channel and other social networks. In one of the publications, he discussed whether he could be prosecuted for involvement in an extremist organization because he shares the views of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and Navalny’s Team.

Leifer’s data was added to the list of extremists and terrorists of Rosfinmonitoring on January 15, 2026, on the same day the former head of Navalny’s Saratov headquarters, Dmitry Tsibirev, was included in this list.

Inour opinion , the decision to recognize the structures of Navalny and his supporters as extremist - the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the Foundation for the Defense of Citizens' Rights (FZPG) and Navalny's headquarters - was made without sufficient grounds. Since the recognition of Navalny’s structures as extremist, in our opinion, was unlawful, we consider the prosecution of the politician’s supporters under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code for continuing the same activity. If Leifer was accused of involvement in Navalny’s organizations, then we consider his prosecution under this article to be unlawful.

Sources

• ⚖️ A resident of Saratov was convicted in absentia for involving citizens in the activities of an extremist organization // Sledkom 64. Telegram. 2026. June 2.
• Criminal case card No. 1-75/2026 // Oktyabrsky District Court of Saratov. 2026. June 2.
• According to social media reports.