Overview of Ilya Novikov’s legal career and public exposure
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has placed lawyer Ilya Novikov, known for defending Ukrainian soldier Nadezhda Savchenko who became entangled in high-profile cases involving director Oleg Sentsov and former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, on a wanted list. This development follows official actions tied to his professional activities and public statements across foreign and political contexts.
According to records on Novikov’s professional profile, the notice states: “Novikov Ilya Sergeevich, born February 11, 1982, is wanted under an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.”
On November 25, the Ministry of Justice added Novikov to the registry of natural persons-foreign agents. The list also included former Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman, journalists Anna Mongait and Alexandra Garmazhapova, Fyodor Telin, a Ufa ally of the dissident Alexei Navalny, and Vitaly Kovin, the Perm coordinator of the Voice movement. The registry indicates that these individuals engage in political activities and receive funding from Ukraine. Simultaneously, journalist Lyubov Barbashova was listed as a media-foreign agent.
Since 2021, Novikov has lived and worked in Kiev. After Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in 2022, he announced that Kiev had joined the ranks of territorial defense. By the end of March, sources noted that Novikov had not participated in combat but was undergoing military training.
Novikov earned honors at the Russian Academy of Justice. From 2002 to 2016, he enjoyed visibility on television through appearances on the show Where? When. During that period, the program won several accolades, including a Diamond Owl in 2014 and Crystal Owls in 2004 and 2014.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, commented on the Novikov case via Telegram, addressing inquiries about the search for the attorney. In one post, she referenced a message from Novikov calling on the Russian Foreign Ministry and attached a screenshot from his Twitter account.
“Where is Elijah?” read the caption in one post, highlighting the public nature of the call for information about Novikov from a government body.
Pyro Defense and related cases
Novikov has represented clients linked to the 2014 case involving Ukrainian historian Oleksiy Chirniy and plans for arson against a Crimea building and the Lenin monument. The court proceedings focused on a broader alleged network associated with Oleg Sentsov, along with other defendants including Alexander Kolchenko and Gennady Afanasiev among others.
Investigators described the group as aiming to carry out sabotage and terrorist acts in Simferopol, Yalta, and Sevastopol, with intentions to target key infrastructure. Later testimonies from Chirniy and Afanasyev implicated themselves and others in a criminal conspiracy alongside Sentsov. Novikov contended that Chirniy had defamed his client and claimed his client was subjected to coercion, naming the Ukrainian consulate in Moscow in support of his claim.
In 2015, a North Caucasus District Military Court dismissed Novikov from the trial due to a misalignment between his stance and that of the accused, reinforcing the defense principle of ensuring the defendant’s rights. Chirniy received a seven-year sentence in a strict regime colony in April 2015 despite active cooperation with investigators.
Savchenko defense and political ramifications
Novikov also defended Nadezhda Savchenko, a former Ukrainian army officer charged in connection with the deaths of Russian journalists during the 2014 conflict in southeast Ukraine. The case described Savchenko as involved with the Aidar volunteer battalion and positioned on a 40-meter telecoms tower near Lugansk as a gunner during an attack that led to the deaths of VGTRK reporters Anton Voloshin and Igor Kornelyuk. Savchenko was detained by Lugansk authorities shortly thereafter.
During court proceedings, Novikov argued that court records placed Savchenko in central Lugansk at the time of the journalists’ deaths, making involvement unlikely. He cited technicians from a cell phone company to support claims about Savchenko’s inability to climb the tower, and prosecutors reviewed a captured video of Savchenko to determine coordinates and timing of the incident.
In March 2016, Savchenko faced a 22-year sentence and a fine, later receiving a presidential pardon in May of that year.
Novikov later represented former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko in a case tied to treason allegations related to coal purchases from Donbass in 2014-2015. The investigation suggested Poroshenko managed elements of a criminal scheme and worked with Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, who authorities described as a key facilitator. By January 2022, a Ukrainian court had opted not to arrest Poroshenko, releasing him on a personal obligation basis.
Defense of the Nemtsov monument incident
In September 2017, Novikov became involved in a confrontation with a Serbian activist who was attempting to remove a commemorative plaque for Boris Nemtsov from a building. Visual evidence shows Serbian activist Gosha Tarasevich attempting to alter the plaque while asserting the previous plate was missing, later reappearing. Tarasevich claimed the inscription referred to Ukrainian nationalists, prompting a physical altercation in which Novikov seized a baseball bat from his car. The confrontation ended with both men in police custody at the Zamoskvorechye station. Novikov later described the incident on social media, noting his actions as a warning to remove the contested photo.