Russian authorities are looking for to dissolve a charity foundation linked to prominent Kremlin critic and previous Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday.The Justice Ministrys Sverdlovsk area branch accuses the Roizman Foundation of financial mismanagement, failing to fully adhere to its charter and operating from a workplace that does not match its authorized legal address, according to RIA Novosti.Founded in 2015, the Roizman Foundation supports nonprofit initiatives and helps people in difficult situations in Russias Sverdlovsk region.The organizations director, Svetlana Kosolapova, connected the liquidation claim to the charitys ongoing legal fight with the Justice Ministry over previous examinations, according to the Yekaterinburg-based news site Its My City.Weve been checked dozens of times at every level, and they discovered absolutely nothing to hold on to, Roizman told reporter Alexei Venediktov.The Oktyabrsky District Court in Yekaterinburgscheduled the first hearing in the liquidation case for April 2.
Roizman swore that his charity would continue its work despite the legal proceedings.One of the few remaining high-profile opposition figures still in Russia, Roizman, 62, has actually faced increasing pressure since Moscow released its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.In May 2023, he was fined for discrediting the Russian armed force after publishing a YouTube video in July 2022 criticizing the war.Russias Justice Ministry identified Roizman a foreign agent in November 2022.