The ADC Memorial continues to address the issues facing indigenous peoples in its anti-discrimination podcast.
In the 3rd episode of ‘Сonnected’, attorney Olga Podoplelova discusses the case of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt — human rights defenders and activists who stood up for the rights of Russia’s indigenous peoples. Daria Egereva, a representative of the Selkup people, and Natalia Leongardt have spent more than 20 years defending the rights of small indigenous peoples in Siberia, the North and the Far East. They are currently in custody and face charges of participating in the activities of an organisation recognised as terrorist in Russia.
In an interview, Olga Podoplelova explains the legal aspects of the case, discusses the persecution’s connection to the activities of the organisation Aborigen Forum, the inclusion of this organisation on the list of so-called ‘structural divisions’ of the ‘Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum’, and why this case is causing serious concern within the international community.
Particular attention is paid to the work of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt in defending the rights of indigenous peoples at the international level, including their cooperation with UN mechanisms.
Sound design: Ostap Kukhar
You can listen in Russian:
Text version of the podcast
We are publishing a transcript of the ‘Сonnected’ podcast featuring lawyer Olga Podoplelova. The text has been slightly edited for ease of reading.
Hello everyone! You are listening to the “Сonnected” podcast from the Anti-Discrimination Centre “Memorial”- Brussles.
We’re in touch with Russia’s indigenous peoples, who in this podcast talk about the struggle for their rights. Subscribe and give us a like if this topic is close to your heart. Today we are joined by lawyer Olga Podoplelova.
— Hello, Olga.
— Hello.
— You are Daria Egereva’s lawyer, and a few days ago you took part in a briefing on her fate and that of Natalia Leongardt. Perhaps we could briefly explain what has happened to them.
— Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt were detained on 17 December 2025. In other words, they have in fact been deprived of their liberty for more than six months. Their detention was linked to the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case. The investigators believe that Daria and Natalia were members of the ‘Aborigen Forum’ association. And because the ‘Aborigen Forum’ had previously, in December 2024, been included in the Russian Federation List of Terrorist and Extremist Organizations under the auspices of the ‘Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum’, this criminal case arose, which, naturally, is entirely fabricated and, from a legal point of view, absurd.
That’s the short version. To put it even more succinctly, they face up to 20 years in prison.
Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt have been charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, which criminalizes participation in the activities of terrorist organizations and, accordingly, provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of between 10 and 20 years.
— Do you know Daria well personally?
— Yes, Daria and I have known each other well for quite some time.
— Tell us about her.
— Daria is a representative of the Selkup people. They are an indigenous minority in Siberia. Today, there are no more than 3,500 members of these people left. For many years, Daria has been the voice of Russia’s indigenous minority peoples, including on the international stage, on issues relating to the preservation of culture, language, territory, and, more generally, the future of indigenous peoples. In particular, Daria was Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC). In other words, she spoke frequently at various events and expressed an independent viewpoint on the situation of Russia’s indigenous peoples.
Speaking of Daria’s personal qualities, I suppose I must say that it would be very difficult to find a kinder, more optimistic, and more supportive person.
Natalia, just like Daria, has devoted more than 20 years to defending the rights of the indigenous and small-numbered peoples of Siberia, the Far East, and the North of Russia. She helped indigenous communities to establish dialogue with international institutions and defend their rights and enjoyed considerable authority among many communities and representatives of indigenous peoples.
And now both women are in custody, facing a lengthy prison sentence.
— You took part in the briefing. What was the aim of this briefing?
— We held this briefing in light of the fact that the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case and the case of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt are causing great concern within the international community far beyond Russia’s borders. And so it was very important for us to convey up-to-date information about their persecution, to explain the legal mechanism behind this persecution, and to provide more context for understanding the current socio-political situation in Russia, the situation regarding the rights of indigenous and small-numbered peoples, and the repressive practices that currently exist in Russia.
— As I understand it, the case involving the ‘Aborigen Forum’ has been linked in some way to the case of the ‘Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum’, and you wish to distinguish between these cases, is that correct? Please explain, if you would, what the legal and judicial background is here, and what the main danger is in this context?
— ‘Aborigen Forum’ was effectively criminalized twice. First, in July 2024, when the organization, as part of a non-existent anti-Russian separatist movement, was marked as an extremist organisation. Subsequently, in December 2024, the organization, under the auspices of the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, was added to the Russian Federation List of Terrorist and Extremist Organisations as a ‘terrorist’.
— How many peoples were represented in the ‘Aborigen Forum’?
— There were, for example, Selkups, Evenks, Sami, and Chelkans. It varied over time: some joined, some left. There were probably around 15–20 people altogether.
It is important to understand that this scheme of designating certain movements and organizations as terrorist and then adding their alleged structural units to these registers has long been tested in practice. It has been applied, for example, to the non-existent International LGBT Movement, the A.U.E. Movement, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Memorial Movement. And, of course, by and large this is a major fabrication designed to facilitate repression against civil society.
Returning to the question of the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, it is important to understand that this organization does indeed exist. It is a discussion platform for political projects concerning Russia’s future development. Naturally, it has none of the structural units that the FSB claims it has.
— I believe there are 172 such structural units listed; is that correct?
— Yes, absolutely. 172 units.
— And most of them simply do not exist.
— Well, the FSB has attributed a total of 172 structural units to the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum. Looking at the list, one can say that it is highly heterogeneous. It includes organizations and movements that are very different in nature. Some are not organizations at all. They are not connected to one another politically, organizationally, or ideologically. Some of them do not even exist.
For example, some are internet memes, such as the Kursk People’s Republic, while others are Telegram channels, such as Free Lapland. This is precisely the case that is currently being discussed very actively in the media. The administrator of that Telegram channel was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for allegedly being a participant in this structural unit of the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum called ‘Free Lapland’. At the same time, this so-called structural unit is, in essence, a Telegram channel with a few hundred subscribers. It publishes informational materials, memes, news, and similar content. In other words, there is no discussion whatsoever of terrorism, calls for violence, or separatism there.
— And why is it important to treat the ‘Aborigen Forum’ as a separate case, which is, in fact, what it is?
— Indeed, it is now public knowledge that there are several criminal cases against members of various structural units of the Forum of Free States of Post-Russia.
De jure, of course, these cases are linked, as they all relate specifically to this large umbrella organization, to which the ‘Aboriginal Forum’ and 171 other organizations have been attributed.
But de facto, these are all different entities. The defendants are in no way connected to one another. Proceedings in these cases are being conducted separately. In other words, we are effectively dealing with different sets of charges, with charges of a different nature.
After all, the ‘Aborigen Forum’ is an organization that carried out expert and analytical work, and was heavily involved in advocacy on the international stage. This is the specific nature of the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case: in fact, both Daria Yegereva and Natalia Leongardt are being prosecuted for their human rights work.
— And, presumably, for their involvement in international forums?
— Undoubtedly, the persecution of Daria Yegereva and Natalia Leongardt in the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case is, in essence, persecution for their work on international platforms, including the United Nations. In principle, everything in this case points to this.
For example, Daria Yegereva has been working with various mechanisms and bodies of the United Nations for many years. She was Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Climate Change. Daria’s arrest took place just a few weeks after she returned from a trip to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30). There is, of course, a clear link here.
— But does the vagueness of this case within this huge conglomerate of 172 so-called structural units make it difficult for you to advocate at the international level, or does it not affect you?
— I believe the answer to this question lies in the fact that, in international advocacy, it is always essential to maintain a focus on a single issue and to ensure clarity. And in this respect, when the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case is presented as a major cause of the Forum of Free Post-Russian States, the case becomes less comprehensible to an external audience. But this artificial grouping of various organizations and movements—including some that do not even exist—into a single entity makes advocacy more difficult in that it becomes harder for various international platforms, forums, and associations to unite around this cause and show solidarity. It becomes riskier for them.
— I’d still like to return briefly to Daria herself as a person. Can you tell us how the arrest actually took place?
— The arrest took place in much the same way as it does in many other cases. That is, early in the morning, FSB officers came to Daria’s flat. They effectively turned the whole place upside down and terrified her family: her husband, her two sons, and Daria herself. And for her, this sort of treatment was, naturally, a shock, because nobody is prepared for this, as a rule. And it is very difficult to comprehend and accept that entirely peaceful, lawful human rights and advocacy work can be a reason for persecution and, consequently, for treating a person in this way.
But Daria, of course, is holding up very well, very bravely. And we want to believe that she will maintain her composure throughout this entire criminal trial.
— And we wish her a speedy release and you every success in this difficult case. Thank you for speaking with us. We’ll stay connected.
‘Сonnected’ is the new podcast from the Memorial Anti-Discrimination Centre. Subscribe and give us a like. See you soon and all the best!
The ‘Сonnected’ podcast series highlights the project ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Rights for a Democratic Future’, which is being implemented by INFOE (Institut für Ökologie und Aktions-Ethnologie e.V.), ICIPR (International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia), the Never Again Association and the ADC Memorial, with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
