Press Release, 13.08.2025

Photo: Ksenia Cherepanova / Photo: Novgorod Yabloko

The Novgorod Region Ministry of Justice Department has drawn up an administrative protocol against member of the Novgorod Yabloko Bureau Ksenia Cherepanova for failing to self-report as a “foreign agent”. The protocol lists materials whose publication on Ksenia Cherepanova’s Telegram channel allegedly occurred with foreign support. The list includes the following materials: seven reposts on Telegram of other “foreign agents'” materials and three posts criticising local self-government reform, including a message about persecution of Vologda Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Yegorov, party Federal Bureau member Alexander Yefimov and leader of the Ryazan regional branch of Yabloko Konstantin Smirnov. The protocol of the Novgorod Ministry of Justice provides no evidence of foreign influence. The court hearing on Ksenia Cherepanova’s case for failing to self-report will take place at Novgorod District Court on 20 August.

Novgorod Yabloko has studied the regional Ministry of Justice administrative protocol to confirm that Ksenia Cherepanova was called a “foreign agent” for expressing her own opinion and criticising the current authorities.

What Cherepanova was given “foreign agent” status for:

For reposts on social media of “foreign agents'” materials:

• video from the YouTube channel of Nobel laureate and Yabloko party member Dmitry Muratov about 51 Nobel laureates calling for a ceasefire and end to people dying;
• article in internet magazine “7×7 – Horizontal Russia” about Vologda Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Yegorov being found guilty and fined 200,000 roubles for “discrediting the army”;
• message from the OVD-Info Telegram channel about opening a criminal case for libel against Andrei Staroverov, an activist from Khvoyninsky District of the Novgorod Region;
• publication in the Telegram channel of Yabloko Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky about a driver who fatally struck poet Lev Rubinstein at a pedestrian crossing in Moscow, the poet died of the attacker received 20 months of suspended sentence, whilst political prisoners who killed no one receive sentences of real imprisonment from 6 to 25 years;
• message from the OVD-Info Telegram channel that Yabloko party member Alexander Yefimov was fined 15,000 roubles for an interview with the Golos independent election observers movement;
• note from Alexei Venediktov’s Telegram channel about him buying at a Yabloko party charity auction the painting “Lupins” by then 77-year-old St.Petersburg artist Yelena Osipova persecuted for her peace actions;
• publication from the Agentstvo Telegram channel about former Novgorod Region Governor Andrei Nikitin publishing a post about “a special military operation hero” convicted of raping a minor, but then then getting scared and deleting it;

For criticising local self-government reform:

• repost of a message from the Yabloko party Telegram channel about opening a criminal case and detention of Ryazan Yabloko Chairman Konstantin Smirnov, who opposed liquidation of rural settlements and their municipal councils in his region;
• original post “Liquidate in Eight Minutes” on Ksenia Cherepanova’s Telegram channel about liquidation of local-self government in the Novgorod District via merging settlements in one and liquidating the municipal councils;
• publication on Ksenia Cherepanova’s Telegram channel about Novgorod Yabloko branch’s appeal to the public prosecutor’s office regarding numerous violations during public hearings on the question of the merger of settlements in Novgorod District and liquidation of their municipal councils.

It should be noted that earlier the Ministry of Justice twice included Ksenia Cherepanova on the list of those “affiliated with foreign agents” in violation of repressive Russian legislation. Because of this, in the 2024 elections for deputies to the Novgorod Regional Duma, Ksenia Cherepanova’s campaign materials were marked with the “foreign agent” label. Furthermore, since February 2024, the politician’s VKontakte page has been blocked by decision of the Public Prosecutor General’s Office.

In August 2023, Ksenia Cherepanova’s flat was searched as part of a criminal case against Grigory Melkonyants, Co-Chair of the unregistered Golos independent election observers movement. Ksenia was given witness status.

Novgorod Yabloko calls on party supporters and all concerned citizens to support Ksenia Cherepanova and participate in the open hearing at Novgorod District Court on the administrative violation case. The hearing will take place on 20 August at 14:30.