A criminal case was initiated against former coordinator of the Conscientious Objectors Movement (COM) Elena Popova for spreading military «fakes», reported «Bumaga»*. In the morning, law enforcement conducted a search at her place, she told journalists that FSB officers broke down the door to her apartment.
Human rights activists from «First Department»* clarified that the case against Popova was initiated on July 2, 2025, after which she announced her departure from the organization due to «long-standing moral fatigue».
The reason for the persecution of Popova was a stream for the anniversary of the Conscientious Objectors Movement, which she posted on her social network «VKontakte» page on May 16, 2024.
Currently, Popova is in a temporary detention facility. Tomorrow, a hearing will be held in the Frunzensky District Court of St. Petersburg to choose a preventive measure.
Elena Popova — a former activist of «Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg», in 2013 she became one of the founders of the Conscientious Objectors Movement. In 2022, the movement began working, including with those mobilized and those on the front.
* Recognized in Russia as an «foreign agent».