Russian man who turned abandoned water tower into a home fined over donation to Navalny's foundation

A court in the Russian city of Tomsk has convicted radio host and IT manager Alexander Lunev of financing extremist activity and fined him 570,000 rubles. The case stems from a 7,000-ruble donation to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by opposition politician Alexey Navalny. It shows that people in Russia are still being punished for supporting an organization the state has labeled extremist.

Lunev made the donation five years ago, when Russian authorities had already designated the foundation extremist. That status was applied to the foundation and other organizations linked to Navalny in June 2021.

Lunev pleaded guilty. He said he had not looked into the foundation's status before sending the money. In his final statement he said he had transferred the money to people he should not have sent it to and should not have trusted, and that this act eventually put him in the "cage" where he now stood. He was released from custody after the verdict.

The water tower home

Lunev became known after he bought a derelict water tower from the city administration in 2012 and converted it into a home. He moved in during 2020 and relocated to the Czech Republic two years later. He was detained, and then arrested, in August during a short trip to Russia.

Many similar cases

According to an estimate by the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona, Russian authorities had opened at least 225 criminal cases over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation by April 2026.