Victor Rau

A regular participant in protest events in Barnaul. In 2018, he ran in the Altai Krai gubernatorial election, nominated by the Yabloko party.

Rau was first informed of a criminal case for repeated violations of the rules for holding public events on April 17, 2021, after he was detained for wearing a mask with the inscription "Putin must resign" while walking through Soviets Square. Rau had photographed a solo picket demanding Putin's resignation and freedom for political prisoners, after which he was detained: the police considered his mask to be a protest sign and him to be a participant in a mass event.

On April 28, 2021, Rau's home was searched. It was later confirmed that a criminal case had indeed been opened against him. After questioning, Rau was released without any preventive measures being applied. On October 3, it became known that Rau left Russia. He stated that due to his political activity, his grandson had been registered with the local police department.

On January 24, 2022, the investigator dismissed the case, concluding that Rau's pickets "did not pose a real threat to constitutionally protected values" and that his social media posts "did not contain public incitements".