Controversial exiled Kremlin critic accused of attacks on Navalny allies: Leonid Nevzlin

Leonid Nevzlin, a Russian-Israeli businessman and vocal Kremlin critic, faced accusations from Alexei Navalny’s team of orchestrating attacks against Navalny allies. Allegations include assaults on Leonid Volkov, Ivan Zhdanov, and Maxim Mironov’s wife, Alexandra Petrachkova, in various countries.

Team Navalny claimed evidence of Nevzlin’s involvement from a fixer who later vanished. Nevzlin denied the allegations, labeling them as baseless and unjust. Mikhail Khodorkovsky dismissed the claims as an FSB provocation.

Born in Moscow in 1959, Nevzlin co-founded Yukos with Khodorkovsky, becoming a key player in Russia’s oil industry. Accused of tax evasion by Putin’s government, he fled to Israel in 2003.

In 2008, Nevzlin was sentenced in absentia to life for multiple killings during his time at Yukos. Russian prosecutors also linked him to the Litvinenko poisoning in London.

Despite the controversies, Nevzlin engages in philanthropy and supports initiatives against the Kremlin, notably opposing the war in Ukraine.

While criticized for incendiary remarks, Nevzlin remains a notable figure challenging Russian authorities from abroad.