Sergei Udaltsov

Sergei Udaltsov is the coordinator of the Left Front and one of the leaders of mass opposition protests since the mid-2000s. In October 2012, a case was opened against him on charges of preparing to organize mass riots following the NTV broadcast of the "Anatomy of a Protest 2" film, which alleged that in June 2012 he, together with Leonid Razvozzhaiev and Konstantin Lebedev, had discussed the financing of mass riots in Russia with Georgii Targamadze, then head of the Georgian parliament’s Committee on Defense and Security.

The film featured video footage that allegedly showed a meeting between Udaltsov and Targamadze; however, the origin of the recording is unknown. According to the investigation, Udaltsov and Razvozzhaiev, together with Lebedev, organized training camps in various regions of the country for participants in future mass riots. On October 17, Udaltsov was placed under a travel restriction order.

In January 2013, the Investigative Committee announced the merger of the “Anatomy of a Protest 2” case with the Bolotnaya case into a single proceeding. According to investigators, Udaltsov was one of the organizers of the alleged mass riots on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012, and financed these actions with Targamadze’s funds. On February 9, 2013, Udaltsov was placed under house arrest.

On July 24, 2014, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to four and a half years in a general-regime penal colony. On March 18, 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the Moscow City Court’s verdict. On August 8, 2017, Sergey Udaltsov was released from prison.

On January 11, 2024, Udaltsov was detained after a search as part of a case on publicly justifying terrorism, in connection with a statement supporting those persecuted in the Marxist circle case in Ufa. The following day, he was placed in pre-trial detention. On December 25, 2025, Udaltsov was sentenced to six years in a strict-regime penal colony.