Funding Crisis Forces Avtozak Live to Halt Operations by 2025

The exiled Russian legal advocacy group Avtozak Live announced on Wednesday that it plans to halt its operations by the end of 2025 due to ongoing financial constraints that have rendered its activities unviable.

Translating to “police van” in Russian, the organization stated it would complete its current legal commitments prior to its closure and has ceased accepting new assistance requests.

“Regrettably, the project has struggled to secure adequate funding for several years,” the group noted in its announcement.

Initially established in 2019 as a channel for monitoring protests, Avtozak Live redirected its efforts in 2023 towards offering legal support for Russians accused of serious offenses such as terrorism, treason, and sabotage. The organization took on cases that other rights groups had missed, but only if there were no victims involved.

The work of the project became increasingly dangerous following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In June 2022, it shuttered its physical offices in Russia, with most of its staff relocating abroad. Subsequently, in May 2024, Russian authorities attempted to block its website, alleging it was promoting Western sanctions.

Avtozak Live primarily relied on donations gathered through online platforms and deliberately declined funding from Russia to protect its contributors from potential legal repercussions.

In its closing statement, the organization reported providing assistance in 23 cases over the past two years, covering both public and private matters. It also revealed that it still owes around 1 million rubles (approximately $12,400) to lawyers involved in five ongoing terrorism and sabotage cases.