Kenneth Glad
The party said it could no longer guarantee the safety of its supporters in Russia. It did not say whether it expected to resume its work.
The Libertarian Party of Russia suspended its activities after the Russian Ministry of Justice added it to the foreign agent register on July 17.
In a Telegram post, the party said it would stop political and educational work and would no longer accept new supporters.
“Unfortunately, in this situation, we have exhausted our resources to resist pressure and can no longer guarantee the security of our supporters in Russia,” it said.
The Libertarian Party said it had spent nearly two decades promoting libertarian ideas through elections, demonstrations, lectures and conferences.
Founded in 2008, the movement portrayed those activities as central to its political record. It also thanked members, supporters, opponents and others who had followed its work.
The announcement did not state whether the suspension was temporary or set out any conditions for a possible return.
“See you in Russia of the future – whatever it may be,” the message concluded.
Split left two groups
An internal dispute divided the party in 2020, creating two organizations that continued to use the same name and symbols. Neither obtained official registration as a political party.
One organization was headed by Sergey Boyko, while the other was associated with libertarian activist Mikhail Svetov. The ministry’s listing identified Mikhailina Matsapulina as chair of the designated organization.
Meduza reports that the website and social media accounts cited by the ministry were linked to the party previously headed by Svetov.
The second organization responded on Telegram by rejecting the foreign agent designation and expressing support for the listed group.
Meduza said the ministry also added writer Dmitry Petrov, journalist Alexander Polivanov and the Perm media project Fourth Sector to the register.
The ministry alleged that those listed had distributed material produced by foreign agents and published what it described as unreliable information about Russian government policy.
Sources: Meduza; Libertarian Party of Russia Telegram statement; Telegram statement from the second organization using the same name
