Arkhangelsk journalist Yaroslav Varenik, who is a witness in a money laundering criminal case filed against the Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, was not allowed into Estonia. The visa for the journalist of the publication 29.ru was canceled, he announced this on Instagram. The reason for the cancellation is unknown. On August 11, it was reported that Estonia would close the borders for Russian citizens with Schengen visas.
It is reported on social networks that entry was banned, since the hotel canceled the reservation – the refusal of the Estonian side was preceded by a long seven-hour interrogation from Russian border guards who did not want to let him out of Russia. During the interrogation, Varenik was especially asked a lot about his attitude towards Alexei Navalny, whether he deserves freedom and “whether Putin is tightening the screws.” They also asked questions about their attitude to the war, told “how the Nazis castrated Russian soldiers, filling all their holes with polyurethane foam.” Recall that this is what the Russian military is doing .
In October 2019, the journalist was searched in a money laundering case in which FBK was accused. He later received status as a witness in the case. After interrogation, they took a non-disclosure agreement from him, but he said that the questions coincide with those published by the human rights activists of Team 29: whether calls for participation in uncoordinated protests were posted on the electronic resources of the FBK and Navalny’s headquarters, and which of the leaders of the FBK “set as a goal to change foundations of the constitutional system. The journalist also previously helped The Insider in preparing a story about the growth of protest sentiment in the regions. He wrote about the systematic neglect of the authorities, and sometimes direct insults from them against citizens.
