Support The Moscow Times!

Top Navalny Ally Lyubov Sobol Reported to Have Fled Russia

Lyubov Sobol was given a court-ordered curfew and ban on leaving Moscow after being found guilty of inciting violations of coronavirus rules by calling for pro-Navalny rallies this winter. Sergei Karpukhin / TASS

Russian media have reported that Lyubov Sobol, a key ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has fled Russia, reports that the lawyer and activist has not confirmed herself.

Sobol was last week sentenced to 1.5 years of “restricted freedom” after being found guilty of inciting violations of coronavirus rules by calling for pro-Navalny rallies this winter. The court-appointed punishment entails a nighttime curfew and a ban on leaving Moscow and takes effect 10 days after the sentencing.

“According to some reports, Sobol left for Istanbul,” Interfax quoted an unnamed source as saying Sunday.

The state-run Ren TV broadcaster, also citing an unnamed source, claimed that the opposition activist flew to Istanbul via Vnukovo Airport on Saturday as a stopover toward an unknown location.

Sobol, 33, has not confirmed the reports on social media or in responses to The Moscow Times’ queries. 

Several other top Navalny allies have fled Russia in recent months to escape criminal prosecution amid what Kremlin critics describe as a campaign to wipe out dissent ahead of high-stakes parliamentary elections next month.

Interfax’s source warned that Sobol risks a real jail term by leaving due to her two convictions, including one year of community service in April for visiting the apartment of an alleged security agent implicated in Navalny’s poisoning.

“Neither conviction involved serving a sentence in a penal colony,” they were quoted as saying. 

“Now that she has violated current restrictions, the authorized body can ask the court to replace her sentence with a penal colony [sentence].”

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more