Russian court issues arrest warrant for historian Yury Pivovarov

The prosecution claimed that several employees of the institute headed by Pivovarov had received salaries without doing their jobs. According to the prosecution, Pivovarov embezzled 1.5 mln rubles (€23,600) within a criminal group.

Pivovarov was not allowed to leave the country while he was under investigation. As the investigation went on, Pivovarov was diagnosed with central nervous system lymphoma. The prosecution allowed him to leave the country to receive treatment in Israel and then in Germany. The researcher has had several surgeries over the course of five years. He informed the prosecution of his medical procedures through his attorneys. The investigation decided to postpone the consideration of his case.

In February 2022, the historian formed part of the Russian Anti-War Committee which opposed the war in Ukraine.

In late June, the Russian Investigative Committee accused Pivovarov and several of his former coworkers, including an 80-year-old woman who is recovering from a stroke, of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.

The Investigative Committee points out that the time allocated for Pivovarov’s treatment is running out, while he is not in a hurry to return home from Berlin.

The investigation asked the court to place Kolesnikov under arrest for two months. The Moscow police issued an arrest warrant for the historian.