A Moscow court has for the first time ordered pretrial detention for a defendant accused of "assisting activities knowingly directed against Russia's security," according to Mediazona's reporting.
On July 16, the Lefortovo court granted the investigative request to arrest A.Y. Demidenko, with Judge Anna Antipova approving the motion. The same judge had earlier authorized a related search on July 15. The identity of the individual detained under this new charge and the specifics of the allegations remain unclear.
This marks the first known use of Article 276.1, added to Russia's Criminal Code in late 2024. The provision imposes penalties on foreign nationals and stateless persons for aiding "a foreign state, international body, or foreign organization engaged in direct armed opposition to Russia." Convictions under this statute carry prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.