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Lyubov Sobol

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Eduardovna and the family name is Sobol.

Lyubov Sobol
Любовь Соболь
Sobol in 2023
Personal details
Born
Lyubov Eduardovna Fedenyova

(1987-09-13) 13 September 1987 (age 37)
Lobnya, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Political partyRussia of the Future
Alma materState Law Academy
Moscow State University Faculty of Law
OccupationLawyer, politician
AwardsBBC 100 Women (2019)[1]
WebsiteHer YouTube channel

Lyubov Eduardovna Sobol (Russian: Любо́вь Эдуа́рдовна Со́боль, née Fedenyova, Феденёва; born 13 September 1987) is a Russian opposition politician, lawyer and a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council (2012–2013).[2] She produces the YouTube channel "Navalny Live" of Alexei Navalny.[3][4] Sobol was a lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Foundation until its closure in 2021.[5]

Early life and education

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Sobol was born on 13 September 1987 in Lobnya, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR. In 2004, she graduated from the gymnasium class of a secondary school with a silver medal, and entered the Institute of Jurisprudence of the State Law Academy in Moscow.[6] In parallel with her studies, she worked in the Presnensky District Court of Moscow as secretary of the court session and as an assistant to the judge. In 2006, she entered the Law Faculty of the Moscow State University graduating with honours in 2011.[7]

Politics and activism

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In 2011 and 2012, she took part in various forms of civil-political activities, in opposition rallies, volunteer movement in Astrakhan and assistance to Krymsk, she was an observer at various levels of elections. Since March 2011, she has been a lawyer of the RosPil Project created by Alexei Navalny to fight corruption in the area of budget spending.[8]

That same year, Forbes Russian language edition awarded Lyubov Sobol seventh place in their 2011 ranking of "faces few know", recognising the year's most influential but still relatively unknown personalities.[9] On 22 October 2012, she was elected on the civil list to the Russian Opposition Coordination Council, receiving 25,270 votes on the civil list and taking the fifteenth place, ahead of such famous politicians as Boris Nemtsov and Sergey Udaltsov.

In March 2016, she announced her intention to run for election to the 7th convocation of the State Duma in the fall of 2016 from the majority district in the Central Administrative District of Moscow. On 24 May, she withdrew her candidacy.[10]

In May 2018, she became a member of the Central Council of Alexei Navalny's political party Russia of the Future. In 2019, she again took part in the campaign for the election to the Moscow City Duma.[11] On 2 September, she was detained by police after a protest on the weekend in Moscow.[12]

She was included in the Leadership category by the BBC on its 2019 list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.[13]

On 21 December 2020, Sobol went to knock on the door of alleged FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev (who had recently provided details about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny) but was detained by police for more than six hours. On 25 December 2020, Russian authorities raided Sobol's home, detained her, and opened a criminal investigation, alleging she had made an unlawful threat.[14][15] Sobol has denied the charges. If convicted, Sobol could face two to five years in prison.[16]

On 23 January 2021 during a protest in Moscow opposing the arrest of Navalny, Sobol was grabbed and pulled away from an interview with reporters by multiple police officers.[17] On 3 August 2021, she was convicted of COVID-19 restrictions violations and sentenced to one year and a half of parole-like restrictions. Sobol calls the convictions as politically-motivated and nonsensical.[18] The Russian police put out an arrest warrant for Sobol in October 2021.[19]

Lyubov Sobol among participants of a protest rally at the Embassy of Russia, Berlin, 18 February 2024

Sobol released a statement on Alexei Navalny's death, reported on February 16, 2024, reminding the public that Navalny had been healthy prior to his 2020 poisoning, and that he had recovered his health in Germany prior to his arrest and confinement. She concluded that "we need Putin's regime to come to an end, and we should not be afraid to say this publicly."[20]

Personal life

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On 8 August 2021, Sobol announced that she had divorced her husband.[21] On the same day, Russian media outlets reported that she had left Russia, having taken a flight from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport to Turkey.[22]

Over May and June 2023, Sobol made a number of strange and out-of-character posts on Twitter.[23][24] Colleague and fellow opposition figure Maria Pevchikh commented that she was “shocked by the situation” and that Sobol had “serious mental problems”.[24]

Honors and awards

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Sobol was named a George F. Kennan Scholar by the Kennan Institute, a part of the Washington D.C.–based Wilson Center, for 2024.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  2. ^ Координационный совет избран Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine (tr. "Coordinating Council elected ") // Interfax
  3. ^ "Court marshals search Alexey Navalny's Moscow offices". Meduza. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  4. ^ Зотова, Наталия (11 September 2020). "Без Навального: как ФБК работает без своего лидера" [Without Navalny: how the FBK works without its leader]. Би-би-си (in Russian). Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Выборы в Госдуму-2021: обзор главных событий 6 мая" [Elections to the State Duma-2021: an overview of the main events of May 6]. Актуальные комментарии (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Биография". soboll.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Выборы депутатов Московской городской Думы седьмого созыва. Данные кандидата". Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  8. ^ Любовь Соболь о выборах, Никите Белых, ФБК и Кактусе Archived 5 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine (tr. "Lyubov Sobol about the elections, Nikita Belykh, FBK and Cactus") www.youtube.com
  9. ^ "Главные герои 2011 года, которых мало кто знает в лицо. Любовь Соболь: юрист «РосПила» | Новости" [The main characters of 2011, which few people know by sight. Lyubov Sobol: lawyer at RosPil | News]. Forbes.ru (in Russian). 22 December 2011. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  10. ^ Оппозиция не поделила центр Archived 7 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine (tr. "The opposition did not divide the center ") // Газета.Ru
  11. ^ Юрист ФБК Любовь Соболь заявила о намерении участвовать в выборах в Мосгордуму Archived 10 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine (tr. "FBK lawyer Lyubov Sobol announced her intention to participate in the elections to the Moscow City Duma") znak.com
  12. ^ "Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest". Reuters. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  13. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Navalny says Russian police have raided home of ally pursuing novichok plot". the Guardian. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  15. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Russia Opens Criminal Probe Into Navalny Ally Over 'Threat': Associate". www.barrons.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Navalny Associate Sobol Says Criminal Charges Against Her Are Kremlin's 'Revenge'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Alexei Navalny: 'More than 3,000 detained' in protests across Russia". BBC News. 24 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Russian court restricts Navalny ally Sobol's freedoms for 18 months". Reuters. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Navalny Associate Sobol Added To Russia's Wanted List". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  20. ^ Sobol, Lyubov (16 February 2024). "Statement on the Death of Alexei Navalny from Lyubov Sobol". Wilson Center. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "СМИ: Любовь Соболь покинула Россию" [Media: Lyubov Sobol left Russia]. BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  22. ^ ""Интерфакс": Любовь Соболь уехала из России" [Interfax: Lyubov Sobol left Russia]. Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Либералы решили, что Соболь сошла с ума". ВЗГЛЯД.РУ (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 August 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  24. ^ a b "«Доктор сказал в морг». Безумие Любови Соболь перестало приносить выгоду?". «Доктор сказал в морг». Безумие Любови Соболь перестало приносить выгоду? (in Russian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Lyubov Sobol". Wilson Center. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
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