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FSB officers have searched the home of former municipal deputy Galina Filchenko, according to Izvestia and REN TV, citing their sources.

These pro-government media describe her as “the last remaining participant in the 'Congress of People’s Deputies' in Russia.”

“According to our source, the woman was the author and developer of 'legislative acts' on local self-government for the so-called 'new Russia',” says the REN TV report.

From 2017 to 2022, Filchenko served as a deputy from the Yabloko party in the Tverskoy District Council of Moscow. In 2021, she ran for the State Duma, but was disqualified from the elections due to her participation in rallies supporting opposition politician Alexei Navalny. In November 2022, she was the only delegate from Russia who travelled to Poland for the 'Congress of People’s Deputies'.

Between 2023 and 2025, Filchenko was searched at least three times. In every case, it was connected to various criminal cases against opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev, whom the authorities regard as the leader of the 'Congress of People’s Deputies'. Investigators questioned Filchenko as a witness, specifically asking her about the 'Congress'. Some other participants in the 'Congress' who were also searched have since left Russia.

19:19 Galina Filchenko has been charged with participation in a terrorist community (part 2 of article 205.4 of the Russian Criminal Code), and with attempting to seize power (article 278 of the Criminal Code). OVD-Info was informed by her lawyers, Nikita Spivak and Ilya Shutov.

The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow has remanded Filchenko in custody until 2 May 2026. Her defence team said the charges are connected to the 'Congress of People’s Deputies'.

  • The 'Congress of People’s Deputies' was established in Poland in 2022. It is a gathering of former Russian deputies who oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Its leaders are ex-State Duma deputies Ilya Ponomarev, Gennady Gudkov and Mark Feygin. In 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office designated the 'Congress of People’s Deputies' as an “undesirable organisation,” and at the end of 2025, the Supreme Court classified it as a terrorist organisation.

The headline of this story was changed after news of Filchenko’s arrest emerged