On January 27, 2026, the Chertanovsky District Court in Moscow found Salavat Abylkalikov, a Philipp Schwartz Fellow and researcher in sociology and demography at the University of Regensburg, guilty of “participation in the activities of an undesirable organization.” The court imposed an administrative fine.
Abylkalikov fled the Russia in 2023 due to fears of criminal prosecution, forced conscription, and retribution against his family for his opposition to the war in Ukraine. On September 29, 2025, he gave an interview to the independent media outlet Meduza regarding Russia’s demographic crisis. He also published an analytical article on the subject for Meduza, which was featured by the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center (formerly Carnegie Berlin).
Russia designated Meduza as an “undesirable organization” in 2023. Passed in May 2015, the “undesirable organization” law (Article 20.33 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offences) provides Russia’s Prosecutor General and Foreign Ministry with the power to penalize foreign or international institutions if they are deemed to present a “threat to the defensive capabilities or security of the state, to the public order, or to the health of the population.” Entities registered as undesirable organizations are banned from operating in Russia, and individuals found to be associated with them may face fines, restrictions on activities, travel bans, or jail sentences of up to six years. Since the law was passed, a growing number of foreign organizations that have been publicly critical of human rights conditions in Russia have been registered under this title.
The Russian District Court ruled that Abylkalikov’s interview with Meduza constituted “participation” in an undesirable organization, an administrative offense, and imposed a fine of 5,000 rubles.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the prosecution and conviction of a scholar in retaliation for exercising the right to academic freedom and free expression on matters within his professional expertise. Such conduct is expressly protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Russia is a party. State authorities must respect academic freedom and nonviolent expressive conduct and refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter such conduct. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, the conviction of a scholar undermines academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/01/27/demografa-oshtrafovali-iz-za-intervyu-meduze-i-perepechatki-izdaniem-ego
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putin-war-uk-ukraine-russia-belarus-b2670070.html
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/exiled-russian-scholar-when-putin-goes-we-will-return-home
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/09/30/russia-s-vanishing-act https://carnegieendowment.org/ru/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/09/russia-new-demographic-crisis
https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/01/26/russia-has-outlawed-meduza