The Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow found Boris Nadezhdin guilty of charges related to contact with an 'undesirable' organization and fined him 10,000 rubles, a Mediazona correspondent reported from the courtroom.
The administrative case stemmed from an interview Nadezhdin gave to Meduza, published on July 14. The case materials include a post in Meduza's Telegram channel from July 16 linking to the interview, which a prosecutor discovered on July 28.
Nadezhdin's lawyer, Vladimir Pakhomenko, asked for the case to be transferred to another court, arguing that Nadezhdin lives in Dolgoprudny, while the protocol listed the address of the Nikulinsky prosecutor's office, which had found the post, as the location of the offense. The lawyer also requested that Nadezhdin participate in the hearing via video link. The judge said that was only possible from a Russian court, adding that 'Boris Borisovich left Russia, this is a well-known fact.'
According to the lawyer, Nadezhdin had no role in administering Meduza's channels and had given interviews to many journalists, making it impossible to track which media outlets were 'undesirable' organizations. The defense asked to dismiss the case, submitting documents on Nadezhdin's disability status and bankruptcy.
Nadezhdin left Russia after being barred from traveling abroad, citing a decision by the Federal Bailiff Service. The restriction later disappeared from the Gosuslugi portal, and the politician flew with his wife to Kazakhstan, then arrived in France. He recorded a video of his departure against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Earlier, Nadezhdin was designated a 'foreign agent' and fined for displaying prohibited symbols due to a photo of Alexei Navalny. The ruling, which has taken effect, bars him from running in elections for a year.