A Russian-backed organisation that has bankrolled the legal defence of alleged spies and criminals has been sanctioned by the federal government just weeks after an investigation detailed its support for Australia’s most prominent pro-Putin propagandist.
The joint investigation between the ABC and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed the organisation, Pravfond, had paid the legal bills of Simeon Boikov, also known as “Aussie Cossack”, and successfully lobbied for him to be granted Russian citizenship.
The sanctioning of Pravfond means Australian individuals and entities will no longer be able to make assets available to or for the benefit of Pravfond, and any assets held on behalf of or controlled by Pravfond must be frozen.
Australian financial authorities must also closely scrutinise its transactions.
Formally known as “Foundation to Support and Defend the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad”, Pravfond was founded in 2012 with the stated goal of defending the rights of expat Russians, primarily by offering assistance if they get into legal trouble.
Previous reporting has indicated that it has helped pay for the legal defence of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and hit man Vadim Krasikov, who murdered a Chechen militant in Berlin in 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets hit man Vadim Krasikov at a Moscow airport after Krasikov was released in a prisoner exchange with Western countries in August last year. (Reuters: Sputnik/Mikhail Voskresensky)
Several top Pravfond figures, including its deputy director, Vladimir Pozdorovkin, have been identified as former Russian intelligence officers.
The joint investigation drew on a cache of 50,000 internal emails to reveal Pravfond’s support for Boikov, who had been hiding from authorities in the Russian consulate in Sydney since December 2022 after he assaulted a pro-Ukraine protester.
The emails detail how Boikov’s Sydney-based wife applied for at least three rounds of legal aid from Pravfond and the organisation helped him at least once, providing thousands of dollars used to pay his Sydney solicitors.
They also showed Pravfond successfully pushed for Boikov’s Russian citizenship — publicly confirmed in a 2023 decree from President Vladimir Putin.
Asked why, given Pravfond’s alleged intelligence ties and prior support of the likes of Viktor Bout and Vadim Krasikov, he thought it was appropriate to apply for funding, Boikov said he was unaware of these facts.
“I didn’t know about this fund … but even if I knew, even if I knew [them], I had no problems, because I think they’re all heroes. They’re my compatriots.
“I think Viktor Bout’s a great guy … he’s fantastic. He’s a patriot. I’m a patriot.”
From inside the consulate, Boikov regularly broadcasts pro-Russian propaganda, including support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, via the Telegram app, where he has tens of thousands of subscribers.
Boikov broadcasts to his more than 90,000 subscribers via the Telegram app. (Supplied)
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced Pravfond had been added to its list of sanctioned individuals and entities.
A spokesperson for the department told the ABC that Pravfond “has been identified as supporting individuals and entities attempting to influence public opinion abroad, including in relation to Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine”.
“Australia has now imposed more than 1,500 sanctions in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to maintain pressure on Russia for its malign actions.
“Australia has been clear that those enabling Russia’s illegal invasion will face consequences.”
Boikov has been holed up in the Russian consulate in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra since December 2022. (ABC News: Sissy Reyes)
A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Australia referred the ABC to comments by the spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, after the investigation into Pravfond was published in May.
Based on the cache of internal emails, the OCCRP published stories about Pravfond with 28 media partners, including the ABC.
Ms Zakharova said at the time that the reports were “fake stories” and that Pravfond was “a purely human rights structure” that had gotten “in the hair of hateful Russophobes”.
“This organisation, that really helps Russians protect their legal rights abroad, is currently the target of a deluge of slander and outright disinformation,” she said.
A Pravfond spokesperson said it “categorically reject[ed] the allegations and designations imposed by the Australian authorities”.
“The Foundation’s mission is solely humanitarian — to protect the rights of Russian compatriots abroad in accordance with international law,” it said in a statement.
The spokesperson said support for Boikov was provided “at the request of his family and exclusively on a humanitarian basis”, and the fund “has no organisational or financial ties to any state or intelligence agencies”.
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