The court has extended the house arrest of a bard from Khanty-Mansiysk, a city in western Siberia, who is accused of financing the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

Today, the Khanty-Mansiysk District Court extended the house arrest of 59-year-old bard and folklorist Valery Ledkov. His lawyer, Pavel Rusnakov, reported this to OVD-Info.

Ledkov will remain under house arrest at least until 23 July this year.

Investigators have also formally brought a charge against him under the article on financing extremist activities (Part 1, Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to the authorities, Ledkov made six donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) after the organisation was declared “extremist” in Russia.

The first transfer of 300 roubles (about US$3) was made on 5 August 2021. Investigators believe that afterwards, Ledkov set up a monthly payment, and over the following months, up until 5 February 2022, he transferred a further 1,800 roubles (about US$20) to the organisation.

The case against Valery Ledkov was opened on 24 December 2024, triggered by the donation of 300 roubles. Since 28 December of that same year, he has been under house arrest.

It became known on 1 April that a new criminal case had been initiated over the 1,800 roubles in donations; this was combined with the earlier case into a single proceeding.

• In June 2024, Ledkov’s son Konstantin also faced criminal prosecution: he was charged with repeated “discrediting” of the army (Part 1, Article 280.3 of the Russian Criminal Code), inciting activities aimed against state security (subsection “v,” Part 2, Article 280.4), and repeated propaganda of banned symbols (Part 1, Article 282.4). At the end of May this year, Konstantin Ledkov was sentenced to five and a half years in a prison colony.
• OVD-Info has covered the story of the prosecution of Konstantin and Valery Ledkov in this article.