Ivan Zhdanov replaced as head of Navalny-founded Anti-Corruption Foundation after nearly seven-year tenure
The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the nonprofit founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, has a new director as of September 1, Yulia Navalnaya announced on Monday.
Vladislav Romantsov will replace Ivan Zhdanov, who had led FBK since 2018, while Zhdanov will focus on developing his own project, Navalnaya said. “We are deeply grateful to Ivan Zhdanov for everything he’s done to grow the foundation — for his professionalism, dedication, and loyalty to our principles,” she wrote on Telegram.
Navalnaya said Romantsov first joined Navalny’s team in 2013 as a volunteer for the politician’s Moscow mayoral campaign. He later worked in FBK’s polling division, then moved to the IT team after graduating from university. Since 2020, he’s been the organization’s IT director.
“We can proudly say that Vlad really grew up within our team — he’s grown and is now ready for new challenges and even greater responsibilities,” Navalnaya added.
These leadership changes mark a new chapter for FBK. As the leading organization of the Russian opposition, we’ve always believed that renewal and bringing in new leaders is the key force of what drives us forward.
Romantsov wrote on X that it’s “a great honor and an enormous responsibility to continue Alexey’s work, now together with Yulia Navalnaya.
Commenting on his departure, Zhdanov wrote: “For five years, I defended FBK as best I could — an organization hit by the harshest repression in modern Russia. I worked honestly and without fear. Now our paths are parting. Without Alexey, it’s a completely different reality. Today, I’ll stick to the good news; I’ll explain the reasons later.”
After news of Zhdanov’s resignation broke, Meduza reached out to him and to FBK staffers Leonid Volkov, Maria Pevchikh, Kira Yarmysh, and Ruslan Shaveddinov. Zhdanov replied that he was “on vacation” and declined to comment further. The others did not respond.
In July, the Telegram channel Sota reported that Zhdanov had already been removed from the FBK’s leadership. According to the outlet’s sources, the dismissal was a reaction to the cancellation of a concert in memory of Navalny scheduled to take place in Berlin in late June. Navalny’s associates did not officially comment on this information.