Key facts
- Elena Perepelitsa, a member of Russia's liberal Yabloko party, was sentenced to four years in a penal colony.
- The charge against Perepelitsa was donating money to an extremist organization.
- Perepelitsa was detained in July.
- At least 225 criminal cases have been opened in Russia over donations to Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) since it was banned in August 2021.
MOSCOW, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Elena Perepelitsa, a member of Russia's liberal Yabloko party, has been sentenced to four years in a penal colony for donating money to an extremist organization, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.
Perepelitsa was detained in July, eight days after Yabloko's deputy leader Maxim Kruglov was convicted of spreading lies about the Russian army and jailed for seven years. In August, Russia's Supreme Court barred Yabloko from contesting September's parliamentary elections.
According to Mediazona's count, at least 225 criminal cases have been opened across Russia over donations to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) since it was banned as “extremist” in August 2021. The publication noted that the true figure is likely higher, as courts do not always publish enough information to distinguish ACF transfers from funding of other “extremist organisations.”
In 2025, Mediazona recorded 131 criminal cases related to ACF donations, setting a record. The pace of prosecutions has continued into 2026, with 23 cases found in the first months of the year. These cases have been documented in 64 Russian regions, with Moscow having the highest number (25 cases).
Of the 225 known cases, 187 have been filed in court. While most defendants have avoided prison, with fines being the most common punishment, 167 convictions linked to ACF fundraising have been recorded. The total value of fines has reached nearly 40 million roubles (about $527,000), while the donations that triggered these prosecutions amount to roughly 400,000 roubles (about $5,270).