A Russian activist accused of co-founding an extremist group to overthrow the Russian government has reportedly asked for political asylum in Ukraine.
Citing sources in law enforcement, Russian media reported that 26-year-old Sergei Gavrilov entered Ukraine via Belarus on October 21, where he asked for political asylum, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said.
Ukraine's State Border Service said earlier that a Russian citizen had asked for political asylum on October 21.
Gavrilov is a member of the New Greatness Moscow youth activist group, and along with seven other members is on trial on charges of creating an extremist organization.
Four co-defendants are in pretrial detention, while Gavrilov and three others are under house arrest.
They were arrested in March 2018. One of the defendants, Anna Pavlikova, was 17 at the time of her arrest. She spent several months under house arrest, which sparked mass protests in Moscow and other cities.
Those charged say they had turned their online chat criticizing the government into a political movement after the move was proposed by one of their members.
Later, it was revealed that the man who proposed the idea, wrote the movement's charter, and rented premises for the movement's gatherings was a special agent of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
