Press Release, 26.03.2026

Photo: Maxim Kruglov and his lawyer Natalia Tikhonova / Photo: screenshot from the Moscow City Court press service video

On 26 March, the Moscow City Court dismissed the appeal against the remand in custody of Yabloko Deputy Chairman Maxim Kruglov, leaving the politician detained. Dozens of party supporters, journalists, and colleagues of Maxim’s came to the court to show their solidarity, as did the ambassadors of Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States. Maxim Kruglov attended the hearing via video link from the remand centre; his interests in the courtroom were represented by lawyers Natalia Tikhonova and Sergei Badamshin. The investigator did not appear in court; the prosecution was represented by the public prosecutor alone.

Speaking on 26 March, the defence insisted that the ruling of the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow ordering Maxim Kruglov’s remand in custody should be overturned, and supported the grounds of the appeal, which set out in detail the arguments that there were no lawful grounds for Kruglov’s detention.

Maxim Kruglov complained during his video address about the poor connection during the hearing — he said he had heard “50% of what was said”. He, nonetheless, expressed his full support for the defence and stated that, over six months of detention, only two investigative procedures had been carried out with him: a psychological and psychiatric assessment, and a review of three volumes of the case file, “which lasted only two or three hours and took place after the investigation was finished”, that is, several months after he was put in a remand prison.

The politician also stressed that the court of first instance had failed to take into account or examine documents confirming that he could serve house arrest at his registered address. In addition, Kruglov noted that one of the prosecution’s arguments in favour of remand was his possession of a foreign travel passport: “The court of first instance disregarded the fact that I personally and voluntarily handed the passport to the investigator — it is in his possession now”.

Maxim Kruglov also observed that the “offence” attributed to him was alleged to have been committed out of political hatred, yet “the investigation confuses political hatred with lawful political activity”:

“What is being held against me is a brief post on the Internet, expressing regret at the loss of human life, published four years ago. As a lawful politician, a member of the Yabloko party, its Deputy Chairman, a deputy of the Moscow City Duma of the seventh convocation, and the head of Yabloko’s faction in the city parliament, I have always acted within the framework of the Constitution and the law, offering alternative positions to those of the current authorities. Expressing a different point of view legally and lawfully is not a motive of political hatred. Given the specific nature of my work, every public statement I made was scrutinised closely by the competent authorities, and for three and a half years that position [the one that was published and became the ‘pretext’ for the criminal case] was considered normal. Expressing regret at the loss of human life is a normal human response and a Christian position. And if, after three and a half years, such a view is considered dangerous — as some grave crime undermining the foundations of state authority — that is deeply regrettable, alarming, and even tragic.”

The public prosecutor spoke briefly, demanding that the remand order be upheld. The Judge, after five minutes in the deliberation room, agreed: the appeal was to be dismissed.

It should be noted that Maxim Kruglov has been deprived of his liberty since 1 October 2025. He is charged with the public dissemination of “false information” about the army (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Yabloko insists that this charge has no basis whatsoever and forms part of a campaign of political pressure against independent voices.