The court in Tbilisi ruled to extradite Mikhail Timofeev to Russia.

The Tbilisi City Court ruled to extradite Mikhail Timofeev to Russia - an associate and former assistant of the ex-governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Sergey Furgal.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in mid-March, the Tbilisi City Court rejected the claim for granting political asylum to Mikhail Timofeev, ignoring the request of the UN special rapporteur.

Despite the expiration of the statute of limitations and the serious health condition of the detainee, the Georgian court refused to release Mikhail Timofeev and ruled to extradite him to Russia. The decision, which can be appealed within 7 days in the Supreme Court, was made today by Judge Eka Barbakadze, Tbilisi life reported.

Human rights activists are convinced that considering the actual sentences in the "Furgal case", where other defendants received 15 to 20 years of imprisonment, and the quality of medical care in the Russian penitentiary system, the extradition of Timofeev will be a de facto death sentence for him.

"My transfer from Georgia to the Russian Federation is a gross violation of my rights as a person with a disability, as well as Articles 6, 7, and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," Timofeev himself stated.

Mikhail Timofeev is a third-group disabled person suffering from severe illnesses (heart failure, hepatitis C). His health was undermined during his previous imprisonment in Russia, where he was subjected to torture, which has been officially confirmed by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, recognizing that punishment as illegal.

Earlier, the Basmanny Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Mikhail Timofeev in absentia as part of a criminal case regarding the murder of businessman Evgeny Zorii from Khabarovsk in 2004. The former governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Sergey Furgal was convicted for organizing his murder, the unified press service of the courts of general jurisdiction in Moscow reported on December 27, 2023.

Former governor Sergey Furgal was found guilty by a jury and received 23 years. In December 2025, he received a new conviction - this time for economic articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, with a total sentence of 25 years. According to the investigation, Zorii's murder was committed by members of Timofeev's gang in the interests of Sergey Furgal, writes "Kommersant".

Timofeev was previously a freelance assistant to Furgal and, according to law enforcement agencies, led the influential organized crime group "Moiseevskie" (named after the sports club "Moisey", which it allegedly used as a cover). The group controlled several territories in Khabarovsk, engaging in racketeering and money laundering. In 2011, Mikhail Timofeev was sentenced to eight years for extortion (Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). After being released from prison in 2019, he left Russia, the publication states.