Moscow Police Detain Elections Expert Alexander Kynev on Drug Charges
Political consultant and elections expert Alexander Kynev has been arrested in Moscow on charges of large-scale drug production and trafficking, an offense carrying up to 20 years in prison.
The exiled outlet Mediazona reported Friday that Moscow police arrested political consultant and elections expert Alexander Kynev. His lawyer told Mediazona that Kynev has been charged with large-scale illegal drug production, sale and trafficking, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The circumstances of the arrest remain unclear, and law enforcement authorities have not commented on the report.
A longtime critic of the government
Kynev previously worked as a political science professor at Moscow's Higher School of Economics. Russia's Justice Ministry designated him a "foreign agent" in February. Despite years of public criticism of the authorities, he chose to remain in Moscow even as political repression intensified following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kynev has worked as a political consultant since the 1990s, starting with campaigns for the liberal Yabloko party. He later collaborated with several independent political organizations, including the now-disbanded election watchdog Golos.
He also wrote regular opinion columns for The Moscow Times until Russia designated the outlet an "undesirable" organization in 2024.
