Russia’s Supreme Court has officially recognized Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) as a terrorist organization — the most “toxic” label the Russian state can assign. The ruling could have serious consequences for FBK supporters both inside Russia and abroad.
The Prosecutor General filed the lawsuit to designate FBK as a terrorist organization on October 22. The decision was issued by Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nefedov, who has previously ruled on several high-profile political cases, including banning LGBT movements.
Navalny’s allies responded with irony, saying:
FBK will become the first organization to collect the full set of Putin’s ‘awards’: foreign agent, undesirable, extremist, terrorist.
In recent years, Russian authorities have increasingly used such labels to pressure dissenters, including those who have left the country and cannot be imprisoned. Currently, the FSB’s list of terrorist organizations includes 70 groups, more than half of which were added after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As early as summer 2021, the court had declared FBK and Navalny’s regional offices an extremist community. This forced opposition activists to dissolve the offices to protect their employees from criminal liability. Many staff members either emigrated or were detained.
Implications of the Terrorist Designation
For Navalny’s supporters abroad, this status could create serious challenges. Unlike the label “foreign agent,” being designated a terrorist organization is widely understood internationally and may raise concerns among foreigners unfamiliar with Russia’s political repression practices.
The situation is even more dangerous for those remaining in Russia. Human rights advocates warn that association with a terrorist organization carries much harsher penalties: under Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, offenders face 8 to 20 years in prison, and in some cases, life imprisonment. Cases are handled by the FSB rather than the Investigative Committee.
Warning: The designation is a serious escalation — anyone in Russia connected to FBK should exercise extreme caution.