Armenian security forces detained mathematician Mikhail Verbitsky at the airport.
Russian mathematician Mikhail Verbitsky was detained at Zvartnots Airport. He is wanted on charges of justifying terrorism and discrediting the army. His lawyer recommended he apply for asylum.
Mathematician Mikhail Verbitsky was detained in Yerevan. Russia is searching for him, according to journalist Oleg Kashin (who has been designated a foreign agent). He noted that the detention took place at Zvartnots Airport at Russia's request. The mathematician is currently in solitary confinement.
A criminal case against Verbitsky under the article on justifying terrorism was opened due to his post in which he "questioned the methods of investigating the terrorist attack at Crocus." This article also exists in Armenian law, so he still faces extradition to Russia. The mathematician is also charged with discrediting the army. Verbitsky is currently being held in pretrial detention, and no one except his lawyers is allowed to see him, she said.
On the evening of March 22, 2024, armed men stormed the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, opened fire, and also set the building on fire. The FSB classified the incident as a terrorist attack. According to official figures as of March 30, 2024, 144 people were killed and 551 injured in the attack on Crocus City Hall. The terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk was one of the largest in the Moscow region in 30 years. News on this topic is published by the "Caucasian Knot" on the topic page "Terrorist Attacks in Moscow and the Caucasus".
Mikhail Verbitsky, 56, is a Russian mathematician, publicist, and cultural scholar. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Harvard University in 1995 and later worked as a professor in the Mathematics Department at the Higher School of Economics. In 1998, Verbitsky founded the independent music label UR-REALIST, which has released over 40 albums, including recordings by the band "Civil Defense." In 2015, Verbitsky left Russia due to fears of criminal prosecution and subsequently taught at the National Institute of Mathematics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2025, the scientist was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists, and at the same time, the Nagatinsky Court of Moscow arrested him in absentia on charges of justifying terrorism, according to "Ostorozhno Novosti."
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, Russian citizens who have moved to Armenia periodically face search warrants and extradition requests. For example, on October 21, 2024, security forces in Yerevan detained Russian citizen Roman Shklover, who is suspected in Russia of publicly justifying terrorism. In Armenia, this act is not a crime, and detention for political reasons is a gross violation of human rights, stated human rights activist Artur Sakunts. On October 22, Shklover was released.
On August 5, 2025, it became known that Russian authorities issued a request for the extradition of Roman Shklover to Russia. In May, Kazan activist Mark Serov, who lives in Georgia and is wanted in his home country for vandalism motivated by political hatred, was detained upon entering Armenia. According to Sakunts, in recent years Armenia has not extradited activists persecuted in their home country for their political views to Russia.
In October 2025, it became known that Russian citizen Lilia Manyukhina, convicted after posting anti-war leaflets in Moscow, had been arrested in Armenia. Human rights activists noted that Armenia regularly rejects Russia's extradition requests due to politically motivated persecution, but in Manyukhina's case, the courts did not see any political motives.