"It seems, it angered someone in the Kremlin." Defenders of Indigenous rights accused of terrorism

In Russia, law enforcement agencies are preparing a trial in the case of the "Aborigine Forum" – an association of experts and defenders of the rights of Indigenous small-numbered peoples.

On December 17, 2025, searches were conducted at the homes of activists in Yakutia, St. Petersburg, Altai, and Kuzbass. Two human rights defenders, Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, were sent to pre-trial detention. They are accused of participation in a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code), and both face between 10 and 20 years in prison. Historian Maxim Kuzakhmetov, who is outside Russia, was arrested in absentia by Moscow's Basmanny District Court on April 2. According to sources familiar with the proceedings, a total of 10 people are involved in the case. However, the authorities have not disclosed their names.

The "Aborigine Forum" has been banned in Russia twice. In June 2024, it was recognized as extremist as an alleged part of the non-existent "Anti-Russian Separatist Movement." On November 22 of the same year, the association was designated a terrorist organization as a subdivision of the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia." The case against the "Aborigine Forum" involves eight criminal charges: spreading military "fakes," calls for separatism, participation in an "extremist" organization, inciting hatred or enmity, rehabilitation of Nazism, creation of and participation in a terrorist community and a terrorist organization, as well as desecration of the Russian flag or coat of arms.

"There are no acquittals for such articles"

49-year-old Daria Egereva and 58-year-old Natalia Leongardt have been in pre-trial detention for four months. All court hearings in their case are closed.

"They came in the morning, conducted a search, and took her to the Investigative Committee," says Lyudmila (name changed for security – SR), a friend of Natalia Leongardt. "Her husband was at work; he only found out a few hours later – he was absolutely distraught. It was unclear what she had taken with her – whether she had the necessary clothes, underwear, a toothbrush. She had a happy family, twins, now 32 years old; no one felt any trouble – there was absolute confidence that Natalia was doing the right thing, in which there was nothing illegal. So the arrest came as a complete surprise. It's good that her parents didn't live to see this, honestly. They survived the repressions of the 1930s, and for them to relive all this now – it would be terrible... The day after her arrest, there was a hearing on the preventive measure, closed, only the lawyer was allowed in..."

Lawyer Olga Podoplyelova was at that court hearing on December 18.

"It was a very difficult day for everyone. Natalia and Daria were very depressed. On the one hand, I think both are confident that their activities were completely legal and under no circumstances should have led to criminal prosecution. Confidence in one's own rightness often becomes a support in detention," says Podoplyelova. "On the other hand – everyone understands perfectly well what numbers are written in the criminal code for the articles they are charged under. The terrible sentences they face are not even comprehensible yet. Unfortunately, there are no acquittals for such articles; one must prepare for the worst-case scenario, although the charges are completely fabricated."

The lawyer emphasizes that Egereva and Leongardt were engaged exclusively in human rights and expert activities.

"What we have here is the criminalization of such advocacy and educational work. This is entirely in line with the logic of repression against civil society in recent years," says Olga. "The 'Aborigine Forum' was added to the list of terrorist organizations as a structural subdivision of the 'Forum of Free States of Post-Russia.' At that time, 172 organizations were included on the list, not only those related to Indigenous peoples. Some of them do not exist at all; they are phantoms living only in the fantasies of the FSB. For example, the 'Belgorod People's Republic' and 'Kursk People's Republic' movements. The 'Forum of Free States of Post-Russia' really exists, but this platform has no structural subdivisions whatsoever. And in the summer of 2024, the 'Aborigine Forum' was also recognized as a structural subdivision of the 'Anti-Russian Separatist Movement.' This is a kind of phantom structure, invented by the FSB to be able to persecute independent activists who express an independent point of view. The repressive machine is inertia‑driven and keeps capturing more and more people who may have no connection to each other and pose no threat to anyone."

The lawyer also notes that defenders of Indigenous rights have always been "inconvenient" not only for officials and law enforcement.

"They often interfered with coal, oil, and other extractive companies from acting uncontrollably and destroying the habitat of Indigenous peoples. So it can be assumed that various forces are behind this persecution. At the same time, on December 17 of last year, searches took place all over Russia. But only two were taken into custody – perhaps to create a certain demonstrative effect for people potentially doing the same things they did. Daria is the most prominent international expert. Natalia was mainly involved in education and awareness-raising in the field of Indigenous rights protection. Her arrest is apparently meant to intimidate those who do not even speak publicly. So far, two have been arrested, but that does not mean the repression will stop."

Journalist and activist of the "Free Ingria" movement, Maxim Kuzakhmetov, who was arrested in absentia on April 2 in the same "Aborigine Forum" case, does not understand why he became a "co-defendant" of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt.

"Our visions of the future are very different: I believe everyone will be well when the Russian empire ceases to exist, while many participants of the 'Aborigine Forum' believed that one should write to 'United Russia,' interact with the authorities, and did not demand autonomy for their regions. But a huge empire does not care about small peoples. And in my opinion, talk about 'so they don't bother us herding reindeer' – is, at best, a path to a reservation," says Maxim Kuzakhmetov.

At the same time, he acknowledges that the persecuted activists had an important mission – to tell the truth about the situation of Indigenous small-numbered peoples, including at the UN international platform.

"Apparently, it angered someone in the Kremlin. There are no separatists whatsoever in the 'Aborigine Forum.' Both human rights defenders are sincere, philanthropic women. The whole case is artificially cobbled together; a bunch of articles are piled up, you can't tell where the desecration of the flag is, where the discrediting of the army is. The human rights defenders killed no one, stole nothing, they just expressed pain over reindeer pastures turned into polluted oil territories. But they are in pre-trial detention and risk leaving without hair, without teeth after many years – I have no illusions about a righteous trial."

Oleg Mahaletskyi, the founder of the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia," says that the designation of his organization as terrorist created the ground for mass persecution.

"The so-called court's decision states that we have 172 structural subdivisions, which include both existing movements with which we interact as a platform, and those with which we have had no interaction whatsoever, for example, the 'Aborigine Forum,' and some invented organizations that do not exist at all. This court decision is used to arrest and persecute people. Our platform is simply a discussion platform; it provides an opportunity for expression to everyone – both those for secession from Russia and those against, both representatives of enslaved nations and international experts," says Oleg Mahaletskyi.

As noted by the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, the list of 172 alleged structural subdivisions of the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia" includes paramilitary groups participating in the war on Ukraine's side (Siberian Battalion, Karelian National Battalion, Bashkort Company, Turan Battalion, Ingria Platoon, etc.). It also includes supporters of independence or expanded rights for some Russian regions; many of these associations cooperated with the Free Russia Foundation – they were all recognized together as extremist as subdivisions of the "Anti-Russian Separatist Movement" ("Aborigine Forum," "Free Idel-Ural," "Free Yakutia," "Free Buryatia," "Asians of Russia" foundation, etc.). There are also nationalist associations ("Northern Brotherhood," "Zalesye Republic," "Smolensk Republic," etc.), mostly operating abroad. Finally, there are non-existent subdivisions, such as the "Federated States of Siberia" or the "Republic of Karelia" (the official name of the Russian region).

"They think they are tsars and gods"

Pavel Sulyandziga, head of the "Batani" International Foundation for Development and Solidarity of Indigenous Peoples (designated as a foreign agent in 2015, liquidated in 2017 – SR), and a member of the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia, knew Natalia Leongardt well because they worked together at the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON).

"Natalia is a very gentle, intelligent person, but at the same time, she defended Indigenous peoples very resolutely. For example, in Kemerovo Oblast, when the Teleuts had a conflict with a coal industry representative. And on Taymyr, when there was a conflict with Norilsk Nickel. Company representatives think they are tsars and gods there; all the resources, local administrations are in their hands. In such situations, Natalia often helped communities reach some compromise and at the same time ensured that businesses adhered to international standards in relations with Indigenous peoples. She also helped communities draw up so-called development plans. For example, a community is engaged in hunting, fishing, reindeer herding. And then a company comes: we want to extract oil, gas, coal on this territory – this will be beneficial for you too, new jobs will appear. And to argue for their right to a normal life, not just 'we are against and that's it,' – the community draws up a development plan. It makes economic calculations for running a business related to fishing, reindeer meat processing, tourism development, and says: you know, we can work, earn money, and live perfectly well without you. But you will destroy everything for us, and we won't be able to do reindeer herding, hunting, or tourism."

Sulyandziga emphasizes that all the accusations by the Russian authorities against Indigenous rights defenders are fabricated and baseless.

"The most tragic thing is that people are being arrested for separatism and terrorism when they had no such thing not only in their actions – but even in their thoughts. We never fought for secession from Russia. We believe that no one is working harder for the collapse of Russia than Putin and his regime," says Pavel.

At the end of April, the next UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will take place. About 1,000 representatives from around the world will gather there. According to Sulyandziga, friends and colleagues of Daria and Natalia are preparing an action in their support: on one day, UN Forum participants will wear T-shirts with portraits of both prisoners. One session of the Forum will be directly dedicated to the arrests of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, another to repression against Indigenous activists and leaders around the world.

UN experts have already expressed their public position: in recent years, Russian legislation on combating extremism and terrorism has been used to suppress civil society, and the case of Natalia and Daria has been cited as one example.

Source: Radio Liberty