MOSCOW. Oct 26 (Interfax) - Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov has been charged with preparing to incite mass riots, Vladimir Markin from the Investigations Committee told Interfax.
"Sergei Udaltsov has been charged and denies his guilt," Markin said.
Udaltsov was questioned as a suspect on Friday, Markin said.
Udaltsov, who has given his written promise not to leave Moscow, remains free, Markin said.
The criminal case against Udaltsov, his assistant Konstantin Lebedev, and Leonid Razvozzhayev, an assistant to State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomaryov, was opened on October 17.
The men are charged with inciting mass riots (a crime enshrined by Articles 30 and 212 of the Russian Criminal Code). The criminal case was opened based on the probe into information given in the film Anatomy of Protest 2, which aired on NTV television on October 5.
On the same day, Udaltsov and Lebedev were summoned to the Investigative Committee as suspects and their residences were searched. Lebedev was detained for 48 hours and Udaltsov was released after giving a written promise not to leave Moscow. The Moscow Basmanny Court later arrested Lebedev, who will remain in custody until December 16. The investigators were not able to find Razvozzhayev. On October 21, State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomaryov said his assistant was detained in Kyiv, where he had asked for political asylum, and was taken to Moscow. The Investigative Committee said Razvozzhayev had turned himself in to the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee.
On October 23, Valery Borshchyov, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group, told Interfax after meeting with Razvozzhayev that the opposition activist had told him he had testified under pressure and was abducted in Ukraine.
The Investigations Committee, in turn, said Razvozzhayev has not officially reported being tortured to the Investigations Committee. At the same time, the Investigations Committee said it will probe all information and media reports in connection with Razvozzhayev's allegations of torture.
On October 25, Razvozzhayev officially recanted the testimony he gave after turning himself in to the police. Lawyer Feigin said the opposition activist has recanted his testimony because he had testified under pressure. Razvozzhayev has also asked the investigative bodies to open a criminal case on the basis of his abduction in Ukraine.