German former professional cyclist arrested over a 9-euro donation

​Police in St Petersburg have arrested a German national from the cycling community for making a transfer equivalent to around nine euros to the anti-corruption foundation of the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. This is reported consistently by Russian media outlets based in exile. They cite the regional branch of the Russian Ministry of the Interior, which has also released videos. The footage of the arrest shows Igor Leonovich, who rode for the Swiss UCI Continental Team Atlas Personal – Romer’s Hausbäckerei in 2008 and had previously competed for RSC Wiesbaden, amongst others. In 2007, he won the Hesse Championship in the mountain time trial and the individual time trial. He has been living in St Petersburg for several years and runs a gym with a business partner.

Cyclist donated 9 euros

The cyclist and fitness coach is accused of having transferred 900 roubles – equivalent to just over nine euros – to Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, which is classified by the Russian authorities as “extremist” and “terrorist”.

In a video released by the authorities, heavily armed and masked police officers from an anti-terror unit can be seen pushing him against the door of his flat. The police searched the flat and seized a laptop and a smartphone. Footage released by the authorities shows the man’s hands trembling during his arrest and him begging the officers not to frighten his family. He is the father of four children. In the videos, the cyclist is seen sitting at his kitchen table, reading out the charges brought against him before he is arrested. The fact that the police themselves have released the video suggests that it was intended to send a message – possibly to Germany as well. On 27 November 2025, the Russian Supreme Court classified the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) as a “terrorist organisation”. The independent Russian media outlet Mediazona calculated that, by April 2026, at least 225 criminal proceedings had been opened across Russia in connection with donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation. “The Foreign Office is aware of the case. Our colleagues at the Consulate-General in St Petersburg are looking into it,” a spokesperson told TOUR. However, the name of the person arrested is only mentioned in the Russian reports.