Moscow prosecutors have requested that Russia’s Supreme Court designate the Russian Anti-War Committee as a terrorist organization, according to state media reports Friday.
The move escalates a crackdown on opposition groups critical of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Founded in February 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion began, the Anti-War Committee comprises prominent exiled figures including former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and economist Sergei Guriev.
The Committee’s stated goal is to oppose the war and to coordinate efforts among Russians who share that opposition, providing a platform for solidarity and mutual assistance. According to a statement released by the Committee, its activities focus on humanitarian initiatives and public civic engagement.
Russian authorities previously labeled the Anti-War Committee “undesirable” in January 2024, a designation that carries significant legal risks for anyone associated with the group, including imprisonment and criminal penalties for sharing its content online. The current request to designate the Committee as a terrorist organization would impose even more severe restrictions.
The Supreme Court has announced it will review the prosecution’s request in a closed-door session. In October, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced terrorism charges against 23 individuals linked to the Committee, accusing them of financing Ukrainian paramilitary groups and plotting to overthrow the Russian government. Khodorkovsky has publicly denied these accusations, calling the case a response to the establishment of a platform for dialogue with the Russian democratic opposition under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The FSB alleges that the Committee sought to create a “Platform of Russian Democratic Forces” at PACE, which Khodorkovsky described as a “transitional assembly” and alternative government. Authorities claim the Committee aimed to “liquidate” the Russian government, according to the Moscow Times. Khodorkovsky, speaking on X (formerly Twitter), attributed the charges to the Kremlin’s concern over the PACE initiative.
The Independent reported that other individuals under investigation include Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, political commentator Yekaterina Schulmann, former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and economists Sergey Aleksashenko and Sergei Guriev. These individuals all reside outside of Russia and already face the risk of arrest should they return.
Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, but the PACE initiative represents an attempt by Western lawmakers to engage with the Russian opposition. The Kremlin views this engagement as a challenge to its authority, according to Khodorkovsky.
