Interior ministry brands Russian academic’s community “extremist” group

January 11, Pozirk. Belarus’ interior ministry has blacklisted a community associated with Russian academic Andrei Suzdaltsev, according to the ministry’s website.

A group named Andrey Suzdaltsev carries out “extremist activities both in Russia and Belarus,” it added in a reference to his Telegram channel.

Suzdaltsev, a political and economic history lecturer at Russia’s Higher School of Economics, has 5,200 followers on the Telegram messenger application.

He lived in Belarus until Minsk expelled him in 2006, citing “threats to national security.” He was deported with a five-year entry ban and jointed the Higher School of Economics in 2021.

Last summer, Belarusian authorities branded his Telegram channel as “extremist” content. The designation carries a short jail sentence or a fine for anyone subscribing to the channel and sharing Suzdaltsev’s posts.