Lawyer Nikolai Polozov, who defended members of Pussy Riot and Crimean Tatars, has been declared wanted by the authorities.

The police have declared lawyer Nikolai Polozov, who defended members of Pussy Riot and other politically persecuted individuals, wanted. The wanted notice in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database was discovered by Mediazona.

A source in law enforcement told TASS that the lawyer was declared wanted in connection with the possibility of a criminal case being opened against him “under the article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.”

Polozov is currently living in Ukraine. In December 2024, the Ministry of Justice declared the lawyer a “foreign agent.” The ministry cited his anti-war statements and calls to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces as reasons for this.

Nikolai Polozov has acted as a defence lawyer in many high-profile political cases. He represented members of the group Pussy Riot in 2012, opposition figure Sergey Udaltsov in 2013–2014, as well as Alexei Navalny in a number of his administrative cases. In addition, Polozov defended persecuted Crimean Tatars, Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, and coordinated a group of lawyers representing 24 Ukrainian sailors who were taken prisoner in 2018.

17 July An application for the arrest of lawyer Nikolai Polozov was filed with the Gagarinsky District Court in Moscow, reports TASS.

According to the entry on the court’s website, a case has been opened against Polozov for spreading “fakes” about the Russian army on the grounds of hatred (clause “d” part 2 article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). Previously, citing a source, TASS reported that the lawyer likely faced a case for discrediting the army (article 280.3 of the Criminal Code).

The application was registered with the court today. The entry does not state when it will be considered.