Facing prosecution in his homeland, an ally of Russia’s leading opposition activist and anti-corruption campaigner has received political asylum in the UK.
Former banker Vladimir Ashurkov is the executive director of the anti-corruption fund led by Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of president Vladimir Putin who was recently convicted of fraud in a trial that was widely seen as politically motivated.
Ashurkov is also a key figure in Navalny’s Progress party, which has repeatedly been refused registration by the authorities.
Ashurkov is wanted in Russia on embezzlement charges stemming from the fundraising he led for Navalny’s 2013 grassroots campaign to become mayor of Moscow, in which the opposition candidate received 30% of the vote despite being denied vital coverage by state-owned television. He told the Guardian that he applied for asylum in July to protect himself from extradition to Russia. He says the charges against him are baseless.
Ashurkov’s partner, Alexandrina Markvo, is also seeking asylum. Expecting a child, the pair flew to London in May after Ashurkov received a summons from the investigative committee. Police had already searched their flat, an incident that was aired on national television, and Ashurkov said he “felt that the pressure on me was rapidly increasing”.
“We left Russia thinking in two months we would be back, but then a week after my son was born here a criminal case against me was opened, and it became not safe to return to Russia. A few months later a warrant was issued,” he said.
Russia’s powerful investigative committee accused Ashurkov and two other activists last summer of embezzling the campaign funds they gathered for Navalny. Since donations had to be made to a campaign bank account, which involves a cumbersome transfer process, the activists donated 1 million roubles (then about £20,000) to the account, then suggested supporters reimburse them little by little through the easy electronic payment service Yandex.Money.
The two other activists, Konstantin Jankauskas and Nikolai Lyaskin, are, respectively, under house arrest and an order not to leave Moscow. They deny any wrongdoing.
“Of course, I feel responsible because I was the one who made the decision to use this process, but I don’t feel any guilt because it’s not illegal,” Ashurkov said. “My heart goes out to Konstantin, who has been under house arrest since 2014. He sits in a small apartment in Moscow and is allowed an hour a day for a walk.”
He argued that the charges were likely brought to prevent the three activists from running for Moscow city council as they had planned. Several people close to Navalny have faced prosecution, including his brother Oleg, who is serving a three and a half-year prison sentence after the pair were convicted in December of defrauding French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. Alexei Navalny was given a suspended sentence.
Ashurkov will continue working remotely with the Progress party and the anti-corruption fund, which has frequently published well-documented reports comparing prominent officials’ largesse with their moderate stated salaries. He said he expects to be able to return to Russia “within 10 years, if not sooner”.
“Eventually the Russian political system will be liberalised, and we are showing that we will be part of the system that comes after Putin,” he said.