Recent revelations surrounding political commentator Fyodor Krasheninnikov have sparked outrage across the Russian-speaking internet and reminded me of a problem afflicting many members of the country’s exiled opposition.
According to media reports citing former Anti-Corruption Foundation director Ivan Zhdanov, Krasheninnikov formally worked for the organization, receiving a salary, but allegedly did not perform any actual work duties. The controversy has raised serious questions about transparency and accountability inside parts of the Russian opposition in exile.
But the problem runs deeper than one scandal.
In October 2024, I interviewed Krasheninnikov for my program Inside Out. Preparing for the interview, I noticed a clear pattern: he consistently defended the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and aggressively criticized decolonial movements inside Russia . Naturally, this raised a journalistic question — how independent was his commentary from the FBK?
I found no direct evidence at the time proving formal affiliation with FBK. However, Krasheninnikov had long-standing political and intellectual ties with one of the organization’s key figures, Leonid Volkov, having co-authored the book “Cloud Democracy” with him back in the early 2010s.
