Volgograd activist Ruslan Nurushev complains about ignoring his requests to return seized equipment

During a search conducted at home of Ruslan Nurushev, a Volgograd activist, law enforcers seized his computer, phones and other equipment. He has appealed to the investigating bodies demanding to have his gadgets back, but his complaints were ignored.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a court in Volgograd had refused to consider the lawsuit about the disclosure of activists' personal data, including those of Ruslan Nurushev, a lawyer. Earlier, the "Volgograd-1" TV Company released a story about laying flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny. The court explained the decision not to consider the lawsuit by the fact that the claimant had chosen an "inappropriate defendant". In June, the court fined Nurushev by 50,000 roubles, finding him guilty of insulting authorities.

According to Ruslan's version, on June 12, law enforcers knocked on his apartment. They showed him a court order for a search as part of a criminal case against Evgeny Kochegin*, a former coordinator of Navalny's regional office. Law enforcers explained to Nurushev that he was a witness within the above case. During the search, his equipment was seized – a computer, phones, hard and flash drives.

"Policemen behaved correctly, not like during the search in 2022, when they turned the entire apartment upside down. Then they took me to the police station and drew up a report for 'petty hooliganism on the Internet.' I once posted a quatrain about Putin in my 'VKontakte' page, not very decent. There can be no talk of any hooliganism. All these accusations are far-fetched," Nurushev has stated.

According to Ruslan Nurushev, law enforcers are trying to fight local oppositionists. "They are conducting searches at their residences while treating them as witnesses, confiscating equipment, depriving them of working tools and communication means," he has concluded.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.