The co-founder of “Politika Space” has left Russia following searches related to the Revolt Centre case.

Kirill Nenashev, director and co-founder of Politika Space, has left Russia following searches connected to the case of Revolt Centre founder Pavel Andreev. He shared this on Facebook, as noted by SOTA.

Nenashev said police searched his home in Arkhangelsk, a major city in the Russian North, two weeks ago. According to the director, he did not have time to open the door, which was being knocked by officers—it was kicked in by armed, camouflaged men.

“They shouted something like: ‘Don’t move.’ I instinctively moved to the side. They shouted that they would shoot and ordered me to lie on the floor. I didn’t have a chance to lie down myself—they helpfully kicked me in the back with a military boot. The whole team ran over me and hit my ribs several times (at the trauma centre I was told my left ribs and lower spine were battered). One of those who had burst in knelt on my back and twisted my arms. In that moment, I thought I’d suffocate,” Nenashev wrote.

He also said that his partner Asya Fomina was forced by officers to kneel, and then they handcuffed her. Nenashev linked the searches to the fact that Fomina had “long” worked as an SMM manager at the Revolt Centre.

Once he was back on his feet, the FSB staff ordered the director to unlock his phone, “waving a gun near my head.”

“The abuse of Asya and me lasted about half an hour, then we were allowed to call a lawyer. They never let me call an ambulance, even though I couldn’t even sit up and was groaning with pain. We were allowed to use the toilet only accompanied by witnesses who, judging by their conversation, were former law-enforcement. When the lawyer finally arrived, one of the camouflaged, masked men took me into a room, grabbed my belt and, pinning me to the wall, said he would strangle me with it if I didn’t stop showing signs of pain,” the director continued.

He added that the officers did not answer his questions about the reason for the searches, and did not allow him to read the report.

Kirill Nenashev said that he and Fomina are now in a safe place.

• On 8 July, officers across Russia conducted searches at the homes of activists and journalists. These investigative actions took place as part of a criminal case on charges of state treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code) against the founder of the Syktyvkar-based cultural space Revolt Centre and former director of the outlet 7×7, Pavel Andreev. Andreev himself is currently outside Russia.
• It later emerged that a case was also opened against Revolt Centre executive director and former 7×7 employee Darya Chernysheva. She was put under restrictions within the case concerning evading “foreign agent” obligations (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).
• After the searches, journalist Ekaterina Tkacheva from Kaliningrad and journalist Valery Potashov also left Russia. Three days after the investigative actions, Potashov was declared a “foreign agent.”