The Moscow Bar Association has stripped Ilya Novikov of his lawyer status, TASS reported, citing the chamber’s decision.
The document dated May 30 does not mention Novikov’s last name – it is “lawyer N.”. The reason for deprivation of lawyer status, as stated in the document, were violations of the Code of Professional Ethics committed by him.
The Board’s decision states that claims against the lawyer appeared due to “a video interview on May 02, 2022 on channel P. in the program Ch.” and quotes Novikov: “The only language that can be spoken with P. is explosions in various Russian warehouses near Belgorod, near Perm. All sorts of bridges that have collapsed suddenly, all sorts of ships that have sunk”, “it doesn’t even matter whether he understands it or not. That language gets through either way”. The video “An Honest Word with Ilya Novikov | Putin is Hitler with a Bomb” published on the YouTube channel Popular Politics is probably meant here.
Novikov’s own position is also listed in the document. He claims that the claims against him are not related to a specific statement, but to his public position on the war in Ukraine. “I am a Ukrainian lawyer, I live in Kyiv since 2019, two years ago I passed the exam. My practice as a lawyer, it is Ukrainian, it is completely independent of the Russian one. My practice in Russia stopped on February 24. On February 24th I gave up all my cases. I will not appear in Russia in any foreseeable future”, – Novikov was quoted in the decision.
Last year, the Justice Ministry deemed Novikov a “foreign agent”. The registry lists Ukraine as a “foreign source” of funding.
In November 2022, the Russian Interior Ministry put him on the wanted list.
