Alexander Shabanov complained about the threats he has been receiving.
Political emigrant from Kropotkin Alexander Shabanov, who spoke out against military actions in Ukraine, is receiving death threats on social media. He asked the authorities of France, where he emigrated two years ago, to provide him with a physical protection program.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on December 9, 2025, former resident of Kropotkin and anti-war activist Alexander Shabanov said that his relatives, who remained in Kropotkin, are afraid to contact law enforcement due to the threats, as security forces had previously threatened them as well. Shabanov is convinced that his relatives are in real danger, although they refuse to leave Russia.
In early June 2022, a court in Kropotkin imposed a fine of 35,000 rubles on Alexander Shabanov for publishing videos on his YouTube channel calling against military actions in Ukraine. On June 25, Shabanov, who worked as a train driver, stated that he was forced to write a resignation letter of his own accord. In his opinion, this was done because of his public activities. Shabanov had to resign after threats from colleagues and security forces due to his refusal to drive a locomotive with the letters Z and V.
Alexander Shabanov, who is in exile in France, where he received political refugee status in 2024, reported threats against him and pressure on his relatives.
"My father-in-law died on March 31 from pancreatic cancer, my mother-in-law was also ill, but after surgery is in remission. I believe they were simply tortured with threats. My mother-in-law is left without means of subsistence, as the store they owned had to be closed back in February. I suggest the remaining relatives move to France. They do not want to," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
He noted that users from Russia write him threats on social media. "Just recently, I recorded a video where I said that I contacted the prosecutor's office, and I was immediately told that this would not help me," Shabanov said.
Due to the death threats, he contacted law enforcement, but there was no response either in Russia or in France.
Shabanov also reported that on July 10, he contacted the French prosecutor's office, social services, and the local prefecture with a statement requesting a full physical protection program and expedited procedures for providing all necessary assistance, including housing and further integration. He reminded about the murder of artist Semyon Skrepetsky in Poland.
"The murder of Skrepetsky is a wake-up call for all of Europe. We can no longer wait for another emigrant to be killed while the authorities pretend that nothing is happening. I urge all opposition members in exile: act systematically, contact official bodies, document threats in writing. Only collective pressure will make the system work," Shabanov believes.
Alexander Shabanov also noted that despite his family arriving in France two years ago, they are still living in a temporary accommodation center. Only the social services responded to the appeal, the head of the department, according to Shabanov, was very displeased with such activity. "The deputy director stated that we should protect ourselves. I asked for weapons, a bulletproof vest, and to be enrolled in shooting courses. He immediately fell silent, saying that this was a matter for the police," Shabanov recounted.
He noted that he was surprised by the remark from the head of the social services department that Shabanov should not indicate his address in letters to the prosecutor and the prefect. "I replied that if I am killed, then immediately write a statement against the prosecutor and the prefect. This means they have betrayed me," he noted.
Recall that on June 16, artist from Russia Robert Kuzovkov, who painted under the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky caricatures of Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin, was shot by unknown assailants in the Polish city of Biala Podlaska. Kuzovkov's death only increased interest in his works and gave new resonance to the themes he addressed in his art, users of social media noted while commenting on his murder. Friends of the artist are convinced of the political nature of the murder, the prosecutor's office stated that there are several versions, without revealing them.
Skrepetsky lived in Poland since 2021, was known for his anti-war and satirical caricatures. In the Telegram channel "Gallery of Semyon Skrepetsky", he published his works, most of which mocked politicians from various countries. Skrepetsky drew caricatures of Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Igor Sechin, Valentina Matviyenko, Maria Zakharova, Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Nikita Mikhalkov. Of Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia. Of Alexander Lukashenko, Donald Trump, former Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, and others.
Skrepetsky also published satirical drawings and caricatures of the leadership of Ukraine, including Vladimir Zelensky. For anti-Ukrainian publications and caricatures, he was included in the database of the Ukrainian website "Peacemaker", recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Three days before his murder, Skrepetsky held a picket in Berlin outside the Russian embassy with a painting depicting Stalin holding Putin. An hour before his murder, he published messages in Telegram with threats that, according to him, followed after this performance.