Lev Shlosberg’s Telegram channel, 17.01.2025

The adventures of the lost “foreign agent signs” in the Pskov region continue. The major case investigator of the Investigative Committee Department for the Pskov region, Andrei Semyonov, invited me to a meeting and issued a writ this morning to bring me in as an accused in a case of alleged “failure to perform duties of a foreign agent”. Thus, my status has changed. The Investigative Committee hastened to [publicly] report this, so I will make a commentary.

Nothing unexpected happened. The transition from the status of a suspect to the status of an accused is an intermediate stage of investigative actions. This is not the preferment of a charge, which has to be approved by the public prosecutor’s office before sending the case to court, this is a standard action.

No new questions were asked.

I confirmed that I do not plead guilty in full, and all necessary evidence had been presented to the investigation.

The investigator also issued a ruling “on the selection of a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave [the area] and proper behaviour,” in which he wrote that due to the fact that I “did not violate the measure of procedural coercion in the form of an obligation to appear, the investigation believes that in relation to … it is possible to select a preventive measure not related to deprivation of liberty”. The territory of free movement is limited to the Pskov region, outside of it – upon notification of the investigator.

My defence attorneys and I continue to defend and protect my rights by all legal means available to us. I thank everyone who worries about me and supports me.

The legislation “on foreign influence” is completely unlawful, repressive and must be repealed. We should sort out the chaos in our heads, then the country will live like it is proper for normal human beings, and it will become clear that the agents were not foreign, but Russian, citizens and patriots of their country.

LEV SHLOSBERG

is a Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party, member of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko and Deputy Chair of the Pskov regional branch of the party. Headed the Yabloko faction in the Pskov Regional Assembly of Deputies