Artem Vazhenkov

Coordinator of the Tver branch of the Golos movement, he also worked as a lawyer at Navalny's local headquarters and headed the Open Russia branch in the city. Because of this, police often visited him and detained him.: for example, before a major rally in support of Alexei Navalny in 2017 (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/express-news/2017/10/06/v-tveri-policiya-zaderzhala-volonterov-mestnogo-shtaba-navalnogo). In 2018, Vazhenkov was arrested for 5 days because of the action "He is not our Tsar", whose participants opposed the inauguration of Vladimir Putin (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/news/2018/05/06/sudy-nad-uchastnikami-akcii-nam-ne-car).

In August 2020, the activist went to Belarus as an observer for the presidential election. He was detained on the street, on the day of protests against the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko, severely beaten and accused of participating in mass riots (https://meduza.io/feature/2020/08/15/ves-siniy-ves-izbit) After that Vazhenkov was sent to the isolation centre in Okrestina, where he spent five days and was also beaten. The activist was then released and returned to Russia.

In early 2021, Vazhenkov was summoned to the prosecutor's office because of an upcoming rally in support of the arrested Navalny. (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/news/2021/01/21/davlenie-na-aktivistov-pered-akciyami-v-podderzhku-alekseya-navalnogo-23-yanvarya) In June, law enforcers came to his home because of his participation in opposition rallies (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/express-news/2021/06/10/v-tveri-i-krasnodare-domoy-k-byvshim-aktivistam-otkrytoy-rossii-prishli). In the same month, an administrative report was drawn up against him under the article on abuse of freedom of speech (part 9 of article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offences): the reason was a video clip from a year ago, where the activist spoke about the possible mechanisms of falsification in the elections on amendments to the Constitution (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/express-news/2021/06/28/eks-koordinatoru-otkrytki-vmenyayut-zloupotreblenie-svobodoy-slova-iz-za).

In addition, in August of the same year unknown persons sent threats to Vazhenkou by e-mail and SMS; they left a sign on his door "Get out scum" with the colours of the white-red-white flag used by the opposition in Belarus (https://tffvoufz---mekodxpr-bsccljbcrq-ez.a.run.app/express-news/2021/08/14/v-tveri-eks-koordinatoru-otkrytoy-rossii-ostavili-ugrozy-na-dveri-kvartiry).

In 2021, Vazhenkov planned to run for deputy to the Tver Oblast Zakzobraniya from the Yabloko party, but the election commission denied his candidacy (https://t.me/vazhenkovteam/847). The commission cited the activist's involvement in "extremist organisations" because of his connection to Alexei Navalny's team (https://t.me/vazhenkovteam/864).

In August 2021, the Ministry of Justice recognised the Golos movement as a "foreign agent", and in September - Vazhenkov himself: he was included in the register of media "foreign agents" because of a money transfer from a Nigerian citizen. The activist explained that the airline transferred money from Abure's card to him for the purchase of a plane ticket, for which he paid with miles. "By doing that, I simply sold the accumulated miles to one of the airlines. That is, it is not a transfer, but a transaction, a payment for the sale, and this is evident from the details of my payments," Vazhenkov explained. The activist's explanation was rejected and he wasn't removed from the register; in January and June 2022, the activist was fined 10,000 and 50,000 rubles for the lack of "foreign agency" labelling in his Instagram and Telegram channel (part 1 and part 2 of Article 19.34.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

In October 2022 Vazhenkov was summoned to the Investigative Committee: his lawyer found out that a criminal case was planned to be opened against the client. "The investigator said that I already have two fines, and I continue to evade maliciously. She needs to take an explanation from me and decide whether she will initiate criminal proceedings. And since I did not come on summons, she plans to put me on a wanted list," the activist wrote in his Telegram channel. In February 2023, it became known that Vazhenkov was charged with the first criminal case in Russia under the article on repeated evasion of duties of a "foreign agent" (part 2 of article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). At that time, the activist was outside Russia. In the same month he was declared wanted and arrested in absentia.

On 18 October 2023, it was reported that the case against Vazhenkov was suspended while he was still wanted.