Press Release, 11.01.2022

Photo: Stanislav Shmakov / Photo from social media

On the morning of 11 January, a search was conducted in the apartment of Stanislav Shmakov in Tomsk. Stanislav Shmakov is an assistant to the deputy of the City Duma from Yabloko David Avetyan and was Yabloko’s candidate in the regional Duma elections in September 2021. The circumstances of the search are still unclear. The whereabouts of the civil activist is unknown. Shmakov’s relatives applied to the police about the missing person.

Neither the family of the civil activist, nor the staff of the Tomsk City Duma have any information about the cause of the search, what case has been opened and the status of Stanislav Shmakov in the case.

At the moment, it is known that documents, electronic devices and a bicycle were seized from Shmakov during the search. After the search, Shmakov was taken away from the apartment by people in uniform in an unknown direction. Relatives and colleagues of Stanislav Shmakov contacted all regional police departments in Tomsk, the Investigative Committee, the Federal Security Service and the Anti-Extremism Department. None of the departments has confirmed that Stanislav Shmakov was brought to them after interrogation. The family of the civil activist applied to the police department at Shmakov’s place of residence with a request for tracing a missing relative.

Read more about the persecution of Yabloko members after the start of the “special operation”.