Police in St Petersburg detained Igor Zaitsev, a 58-year-old associate professor at the European University (EUSPb), during a search of his apartment, according to Baza, a Telegram channel with ties to law enforcement.
Investigators have opened a criminal case against Zaitsev on charges of financing terrorism, Baza reported. The probe alleges that in 2021–2022 the scholar transferred money to Alexei Navalny's projects at least seven times, with donations totaling 3,500 rubles (about $38).
In a video published by Baza, Zaitsev says he supported Navalny "because I believed that his anti-corruption activities were a good thing." Asked whether he transferred money to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) after the organization was designated "extremist," the scholar says he does not remember and adds that "most likely, no." The St Petersburg police headquarters confirmed Zaitsev's detention.
Zaitsev works at the Center for Practical Philosophy "Stasis" at the European University. This is the second case in the past month involving a current or former EUSPb staff member: earlier, former research fellow Mikhail Turchenko was accused of spreading "fakes" about the Russian military.
According to Mediazona's calculations, by April 2026 Russian authorities had opened at least 225 criminal cases nationwide over donations to FBK made after the foundation was banned in August 2021. The outlet noted the actual number may be higher, as courts do not always publish sufficient information.