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Trial begins in Poland for Russian accused of attacking dissidents abroad
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พ Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Trial begins in Poland for Russian accused of attacking dissidents abroad

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A trial began in Warsaw against Anatoli B., a Russian seeking asylum in Poland, accused of leading a network that attacked Russian dissidents abroad.
  • Prosecutors allege Anatoli B. coordinated five attacks, including an arson in Vilnius and assaults on opposition figures in Lithuania and Argentina, under the alleged protection of Leonid Nevzlin.
  • Anatoli B. admitted receiving money from Nevzlin but denied funding illegal activities, while his defense claims personal disputes, not political motives, drove his actions.

A trial commenced in Warsaw against Anatoli B., a Russian national granted asylum in Poland, who stands accused of orchestrating attacks against Russian dissidents in various countries from his base in the Polish capital. The prosecution alleges that Anatoli B. led a network responsible for at least five assaults on opponents of the Russian government, including figures associated with the late Alexei Navalni.

Anatoli B. coordinated five attacks against Russian opposition figures, and that he acted allegedly under the protection of the billionaire Leonid Nevzlin.

โ€” Lesล‚aw BoลผekThe prosecutor stated this during the opening of the trial in Warsaw.

During the trial's opening, prosecutor Lesล‚aw Boลผek outlined the charges, stating that Anatoli B. allegedly coordinated attacks under the protection of Russian oligarch Leonid Nevzlin, a former executive at the oil company Yukos. The Polish prosecution claims that Anatoli B. employed ten Polish individuals between 2023 and 2024 to carry out these actions. These alleged crimes include an arson attack in Vilnius in July 2023 and a brutal hammer assault and attempted kidnapping of Leonid Volkov in Lithuania in March 2024, following an unsuccessful attempt to attack him in New York the previous year.

Further accusations detail an assault in Buenos Aires on the wife of economist Maxim Mironov in September 2024. Anatoli B. acknowledged receiving approximately 225,000 euros from Nevzlin during the investigation, which he characterized as "gifts" and "remuneration for work." However, he denied to the court that these funds were intended for illegal operations. The prosecution's case reportedly relies on the testimony of Viktor P., a Belarusian national residing in Poland, who allegedly acted as an intermediary between Anatoli B. and the hired assailants.

gifts and remunerations for work

โ€” Anatoli B.The accused used these terms to justify money received from Nevzlin during the investigation.

Anatoli B.'s defense team has refuted any political motivation or connection to Russian intelligence services, asserting that his client's actions stemmed from "personal relationships" and private disputes. The accused himself claimed in statements prior to the trial to be a victim of a Russian secret service operation. Anatoli B., who has been a refugee in Poland for three years and lived in the country for about a decade, has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in September 2024.

personal relationships and private disputes

โ€” Anatoli B.'s defenseThe defense team argued these were the reasons for his client's actions, denying political motives.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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