A Moscow court has placed former pro-Kremlin activist Nikita Prosvirin in pre-trial detention on charges of “confidential cooperation” with a foreign organization, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Prosvirin, 32, in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the Ostorozhno Novosti Telegram news channel, which cited unnamed sources. The Meshchansky District Court ruled to detain him ahead of trial. The details of his case, including the identity of the foreign organization involved, remain classified.
Russia criminalized “confidential cooperation” with foreign nationals or organizations in 2022, imposing penalties of up to eight years in prison. Prosvirin was previously affiliated with the ruling United Russia party’s youth wing and served on the party council in Kurgan in 2011.
He is believed to have moved to the Czech Republic around 2014, where he was listed as the head of a student labor union. His Tinder profile reportedly listed the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague as his alma mater.
Prosvirin returned to Russia before February 2023 and registered an IT company, “Driving Mining Games,” in Moscow. Russian media have described him as a game developer, crypto trader, and NFT enthusiast.
