Photo: Revolt Centre

Russian security forces raided independent cultural space Revolt Centre and the registered addresses of its staff in Syktyvkar in northern Russia on Tuesday, Telegram channel New Republic has reported.

The Revolt Centre, first opened in 2019, is named after the Soviet scientist and dissident, Revolt Pimenov, who was exiled to the republic of Komi in the 1970s for distributing samizdat. The centre holds various exhibitions and film screenings and offers co-working space and training for local residents. It recently announced an exhibition featuring the work of the late photographer Dmitry Markov, who frequently photographed protests across Russia.

A source confirmed the raids to Novaya Gazeta Europe, noting that authorities had targeted Pavel Andreyev, one of the centre’s founders, and director of independent news channel 7x7.

Sibir.Realii, the Siberian affiliate of RFE/RL, reported that the searches were conducted under the pretext of “treason”, with security officers interviewing one former 7x7 employee as a witness. However, a Novaya Gazeta Europe source later said the raids were unrelated to treason.

The KomiLeaks Telegram Channel reported that the searches were related to the Revolt Centre’s alleged financial ties to British human rights organisation Article 19, which has been deemed “undesirable” and banned in Russia, and German cultural organisation the Goethe-Institut.

Across Russia, other journalists and human rights activists, including Karelian journalist Valeria Potashova, SOTAvision journalist Yekaterina Tkachyova, and several human rights activists, were also subject to police raids on Tuesday.