The Kaliningrad Regional Court granted a prosecutor's motion to remove lawyer Ilya Sidorov from the defense of Maria Bontsler, who is charged with high treason, the legal project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense) reported, citing the court ruling.
The basis for the removal was Sidorov's refusal to obtain clearance for information constituting state secrets and to participate in court hearings where such information is examined. The lawyer explained that obtaining clearance could impose restrictions on his professional activities — in particular, a lawyer with clearance may be temporarily banned from leaving Russia.
Bontsler herself objected to the removal and argued that a defense attorney is not obliged to review materials containing state secrets. The court, however, agreed with the prosecution's argument that refusing to obtain clearance impedes the defense and ordered Sidorov's removal.
The defense plans to appeal the decision. "Slovo Zashchite" noted that refusal to obtain clearance is not among the grounds for removing a lawyer listed in Article 72 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. The project also pointed out that the law "On State Secrets" does not require a lawyer to obtain clearance and does not make its absence a basis for removal from a case.
The case against Bontsler was opened in May 2025. Initially she was charged with "confidential cooperation with a foreign structure," but in March 2026 the charge was replaced with high treason. According to the investigation, the human rights activist passed information about law enforcement officers to a person whom security forces call an "SBU employee." She faces up to 20 years in prison.
Bontsler is being held in a pretrial detention center and has repeatedly complained about unbearable conditions and denial of medical care. In July, her health sharply deteriorated due to a drug mismatch; she nearly died and lost consciousness in her cell — according to her, she lay unconscious until morning and no one came to help. The defense requested her transfer to a medical facility, but the court refused.