Georgy Alburov
{{Short description|Russian journalist (born 1989)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Valentinovich|Alburov|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Georgy Alburov
| native_name = {{nobold|Георгий Албуров}}
| native_name_lang = ru
| image = Georgy Alburov 2014 (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Alburov in 2014
| birthname = Georgy Valentinovich Alburov
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|10|09}}
| birth_place = Ufa, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
| death_date =
| citizenship = Russia
| death_place =
| occupation = Journalist, coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, YouTuber
| years_active =
| family =
| spouse =
| children =
| URL = {{URL|alburov.ru/}}
| education = Higher School of Economics (political science)
| awards = Redkollegia (2021)
}}
Georgy Alburov ({{Langx|ru|Гео́ргий Валенти́нович Албу́ров|links=no}}, born October 9, 1989{{sfn|Dollbaum, Lallouet, Noble|2021}}) is a Russian political and social activist, journalist, and blogger. Up to 2021, together with Maria Pevchikh, he was a head of the investigation department at the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Alexey Navalny in 2011.{{cite web
|url = https://tass.com/emergencies/1247651
|title = Anti-Corruption Foundation employees Yarmysh, Alburov apprehended in Moscow
|author =
|date = January 21, 2021
|publisher = TASS
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} At the time when Alburov headed the department, the FBK released the investigative films "Chaika" (2015) and "He Is Not Dimon to You" (2017).{{cite web |last=Baev |first=Anton |date=December 1, 2015 |title=Империя Чаек |url=https://newtimes.ru/articles/detail/104916/ |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |publisher=The New Times |language=ru}}{{cite news |last=Tovkaylo |first=Maksim |last2=Mukhametshina |first2=Yelena |date=November 30, 2017 |title=Медведев назвал обормотами авторов фильма "Он вам не Димон" |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2017/11/30/743708-medvedev-harakteristiku-avtoram-filma-vam-dimon |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |newspaper=Ведомости |publisher=Vedomosti |language=ru}}
Biography
Georgy Alburov was born on October 9, 1989, in Ufa. In 2007, he moved to Moscow to study political science at the Higher School of Economics.{{cite web
|url = https://iz.ru/news/571865
|title = Соратника Навального призывают идти в армию
|author = Дмитрий Рункевич, Елена Малай
|language= ru
|date = June 4, 2014
|publisher = iz.ru
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} He began participating in various political actions and protests in 2008. In 2009, he was present at the civic protests known as Strategy-31, advocating for people's right to peaceful assembly in Russia.{{sfn|Gafarova, Mukhin|2016}}
In 2011, Alburov met Alexei Navalny for the first time at the «Anti-Seliger» alternative political forum, they became more familiar later that year, when Navalny was sued for defamation by entrepreneur Vladlen Stepanov. Alburov was live-tweeting the whole event, thus making his first public appearance as a political blogger.{{cite web |last=Feshchenko |first=Viktor |date= |title=Верхом на хайпе: Что под капотом у медиамашины Алексея Навального |url=https://secretmag.ru/navalnyi/ |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |publisher=secretmag.ru |language=ru}} Later he signed the declaration of Navalny's supporters and became a member of the "People's President" political movement.{{sfn|Gafarova, Mukhin|2016}}
In January 2012, Alburov joined Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (commonly known as FBK). During his first year at FBK, he coordinated the "RosVybory" project aimed at observing the 2012 Russian presidential election. He also worked on "{{ill|The Good Truth Machine|ru|Добрая машина правды}}" – a service that provided information about state official's corruption – and "{{ill|RosPil|ru|РосПил}}" – Navalny's project, publicizing abuses in government procurement.{{cite web |last=Rustamova |first=Farida |date=June 22, 2014 |title=Разгром команды: еще один соратник Навального может стать подследственным |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/22/06/2014/57041e929a794760d3d3f810 |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |publisher=rbc.ru |language=ru}}
Moreover, in October 2012, Alburov became a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council. The Council did not recognize the results of the Duma and presidential elections of 2011–2012 and called for their revision.{{cite web
|url = https://ria.ru/20121124/912007985.html
|title = Координационный совет оппозиции определится с датой акции протеста
|author =
|language= ru
|date = November 24, 2012
|publisher = ria.ru
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} Later in December that year, he also joined the founding committee of the "People's Alliance" party, which sought to oppose the elected president, Vladimir Putin, and the ruling party, United Russia.{{cite web |last=Rustamova |first=Farida |date=December 15, 2012 |title="Народный альянс" принял программу и выбрал руководство |url=https://ria.ru/20121215/914927406.html |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |publisher=ria.ru |language=ru}}
On April 14, 2015, the Vladimir Oktyabrsky Court sentenced Alburov another FBK employee, Nikita Kulachenkov to penal labor for stealing the street art painting "Bad/Good Person," which they took off a fence and gave to Navalny for his birthday on June 4, 2014.{{cite web
|url = https://zona.media/theme/sotov
|title = Плакатное дело
|author =
|language= ru
|date =
|publisher = Media Zona
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} The painting, contrasting two Russian figures (one negative, associated with "the Internet," and the other positive, portraying "love of the Motherland"),{{cite web
|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/europe/georgy-alburov-anticorruption-activist-in-russia-convicted-of-theft-for-taking-painting-from-street.html
|title = Anticorruption Activist in Russia Sentenced for Street Art 'Theft'
|author = Robert Mackey
|date = April 14, 2015
|work = The New York Times
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} was made by a janitor Sergei Sotov, who regularly placed his works on city fences. Although the painter claimed that he did not mind that people might take his paintings away, Alburov was sentenced to 240 hours of compulsory labor.{{cite web
|url = https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2708870
|title = Соратника Алексея Навального осудили за кражу картины с забора
|author =
|language= ru
|date = April 14, 2015
|publisher = Kommersant
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} A few months later, the sentence was removed due to an amnesty.{{cite web
|url = https://www.the-village.ru/city/situation/217631-alburov-popal-pod-amnistiyu
|title = Георгий Албуров попал под амнистию по делу о краже картины "Плохой хороший человек"
|author =
|language= ru
|date = July 6, 2015
|publisher = The Village
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
On August 3, 2019, Alburov was arrested as an initiator of protests in Moscow, caused by the situation with the Moscow City Duma elections.{{cite web
|url = https://www.interfax.ru/russia/695615
|title = Метрополитен отсудил у Соболь и Албурова 311 000 рублей за акцию 3 августа
|author =
|language= ru
|date = February 17, 2020
|publisher = Interfax
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} As a result of the mass demonstrations, Moscow Metro and Mosgortrans filed a lawsuit against Alburov and Lyubov Sobol. In February 2020, the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow satisfied the suit and fined 311 000 rubles from the defendants as compensation for the disturbed work of transport employees on August 3.{{cite web
|url = https://tass.ru/obschestvo/7777677
|title = Суд взыскал с Соболь и Албурова 311 тыс. рублей в пользу метро из-за акции 3 августа
|author =
|language= ru
|date = February 17, 2020
|publisher = TASS
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
|url = https://www.svoboda.org/a/30438317.html
|title = Суд взыскал с Соболь и Албурова ещё 311 тысяч рублей за акции 3 августа
|author =
|newspaper = Радио Свобода
|language= ru
|date = February 17, 2020
|publisher = svoboda.org
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
In August 2020, Alburov participated in the FBK investigation of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. Together with Maria Pevchikh and Vladlen Los, he examined Navalny's hotel room in Tomsk for evidence on the day of poisoning.{{cite web
|url = https://www.interfax.ru/russia/727497
|title = Соратники Навального предположили, что его отравили в томской гостинице
|author =
|language= ru
|date = September 17, 2020
|publisher = Interfax
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}{{cite web |last=Balmforth |first=Tom |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Navalny ally says Russian investigation would show Putin responsible for poisoning |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-russia-politics-navalny-investigation-idUKKBN2682XZ |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |publisher=Reuters}}{{cite news |last=Dixon |first=Robyn |date=October 4, 2020 |title=Inside Room 239: How Alexei Navalny's aides got crucial poisoning evidence out of Russia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-navalny-hotel-poisoning/2020/10/03/b70392b4-034a-11eb-b92e-029676f9ebec_story.html |accessdate=August 28, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}
In 2020, Alburov was actively involved in the production of a documentary film "Putin's Palace." In January 2021, Alburov, Pevchikh, and Navalny received the Redkollegiya Journalist Award for this film.{{cite web
|url = https://tvrain.ru/news/navalnyj_pevchih_i_alburov-525380/
|title = Навальный, Певчих и Албуров получили журналистскую премию "Редколлегия" за фильм про "дворец Путина"
|author =
|language= ru
|date = February 26, 2021
|publisher = tvrain.ru
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} The same month, he got arrested for 10 days for calling people to mass protests in support of Alexei Navalny, who was incarcerated upon his return to Russia.{{cite web
|url = https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4660554
|title = Сотрудник ФБК Албуров арестован на 10 суток за призывы к участию в акциях 23 января
|author =
|language= ru
|date = January 22, 2021
|publisher = Kommersant
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
It was reported in May 2021 that several FBK representatives, including Georgy Alburov, Ruslan Shaveddinov, and others, allegedly moved to Georgia to operate a new studio of the "Navalny LIVE" YouTube channel in Tbilisi.{{cite web
|url = https://www.rbc.ru/politics/07/05/2021/609518fc9a79477785e99763
|title = ФБК перевезет студию и часть сотрудников в Грузию
|author = Евгения Кузнецова, Елизавета Ламова
|language= ru
|date = May 7, 2021
|publisher = rbc.ru
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}} Leonid Volkov, a Russian political activist and Navalny's confidante, refuted this information and called it "fake news."{{cite web
|url = https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/05/07/smi-soobshchili-o-pereezde-sotrudnikov-fbk-v-gruziiu-leonid-volkov-nazval-eto-feikom
|title = СМИ сообщили о переезде сотрудников ФБК в Грузию. Леонид Волков назвал это фейком
|author =
|language= ru
|date = May 7, 2021
|publisher = Novaya Gazeta
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
On January 25, 2022, Alburov was included in Rosfinmonitoring's register of terrorists and extremists.{{cite web
|url = https://ria.ru/20220125/spisok-1769394901.html
|title = Росфинмониторинг внес Навального и Соболь в перечень экстремистов
|author =
|language= ru
|date = January 25, 2022
|publisher = ria.ru
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
|url = https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-alexei-navalny-national-terrorist-extremist-list/
|title = Russia adds Alexei Navalny to national 'terrorists and extremists' list
|author = Louis Westendarp
|date = January 25, 2022
|publisher = Politico
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
In August 2022, Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska filed a lawsuit against Navalny, Pevchikh, and Alburov for an investigation they released about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.{{cite web
|url = https://meduza.io/en/news/2022/08/17/russian-billionaire-oleg-deripaska-sues-jailed-opposition-leader-alexey-navalny-over-film-about-sergey-lavrov
|title = Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska sues jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny over film about Sergey Lavrov
|author =
|date = August 17, 2022
|publisher = meduza.io
|accessdate = August 28, 2022
}}
On May 5, 2023, Georgy Alburov and the Anti-Corruption Foundation chair, Maria Pevchikh were added to the Russia's Ministry of Justice list of foreign agents.{{cite web
|url = https://novayagazeta.eu/amp/articles/2023/05/05/anti-corruption-foundation-chief-maria-pevchikh-branded-foreign-agent-by-russia-en-news
|title = Anti-Corruption Foundation chief Maria Pevchikh branded foreign agent by Russia
|author =
|date = May 5, 2023
|publisher = novayagazeta.eu
|accessdate = August 14, 2023
}}
References
{{reflist}}
Literature
- {{cite book
|last1 = Dollbaum
|first1 = Jan Matti
|last2 = Lallouet
|first2 = Morvan
|last3 = Noble
|first3 = Ben
|date= 2021
|title= Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xgRqEAAAQBAJ&dq=georgy+alburov&pg=PT43
|location=
|publisher= Oxford University Press
|page= 280
|isbn= 9781787385757
|ref = CITEREFDollbaum,_Lallouet,_Noble2021
}}
- {{cite book
|last1 = Gafarova
|first1 = Anastasiya
|last2 = Mukhin
|first2 = Alexey
|date= 2016
|title= Навальный. Итоги
|trans-title= Navalny. Results
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=F8O6CwAAQBAJ&dq=%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B9+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2+%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B0%D0%BB+%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C+%D0%B2+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85+%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F%D1%85+%222008%22&pg=PT113
|language= ru
|location= Moscow
|publisher= Algoritm
|page= 272
|isbn= 978-5-906842-08-4
|ref = CITEREFGafarova,_Mukhin2016
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alburov, Georgey}}
Category:21st-century Russian politicians
Category:Higher School of Economics alumni
Category:Redkollegia award winners
Category:Russian investigative journalists
Category:Russian anti-corruption activists