Former pro-Kremlin youth leader applies for political asylum in Estonia

A former coordinator at Molodaya Gvardiya, the youth wing of Russia’s long-ruling political party, has applied for political asylum in Estonia. Konstantin Chadlin, now a member of the “Open Russia” opposition movement, previously managed United Russia’s youth wing in Bashkortostan, the most populous republic in the Russian Federation. 

According to the radio station Ekho Moskvy, Chadlin left Russia last month to seek asylum in Estonia. Chadlin fled the country just as state prosecutors filed fraud charges against him. The activist allegedly organized a criminal group that stole money from used car sales.

The case reportedly got underway two years ago, when Chadlin was still an active Molodaya Gvardiya member. The case initially stalled, but investigators opened it again last summer. A few months later, Chadlin announced that he was leaving Molodaya Gvardiya and joining Open Russia. Andrey Potylitsyn, Open Russia’s coordinator in Bashkortostan, says he believes the charges against Chadlin are politically motivated.

According to the newspaper Kommersant, Chadlin does not have a passport for foreign travel, and was able to leave Russia using consular documents. It’s still unknown how the Estonian government will respond to the asylum request. 

On June 13, a court in Ufa will decide whether to try Chadlin in absentia or put out a warrant for his arrest.