Russian judge who upheld arrest of American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva concealed the U.S. citizenships of his own children

Russian judge Rizvan Yusupov of Tatarstan's Supreme Court, who upheld the extension of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva's pretrial detention in June, may face removal from his position after confirming reports that his children hold U.S. citizenship.

On August 30, Rizvan Yusupov confirmed to the Regnum news agency that his children hold dual Russian-American citizenship, adding that he had notified the Russian authorities through their consulate.

“They were born in New York and have the corresponding birth certificates, which were translated into Russian, apostilled, and submitted to the consulate. My wife handled this,” Yusupov said.

This admission came shortly after the Mash Telegram channel, known for its connections to Russia's law enforcement agencies, reported that Yusupov had concealed the fact that his daughter and son were born in the United States after his wife traveled there for childbirth.

As per the Mash report, Rizvan and Elvira Yusupov concealed the fact that they traveled to the U.S., falsely claiming that the births took place at home in Kazan. The report went on to state that:

“Rizvan Yusupov is refusing to cooperate with investigators and is anticipating his resignation. His wife, Elvira, and their 19-year-old son, Gayaz, are facing criminal charges for concealing information about their foreign passports. It is also known that the judge's eldest daughter, Nailya, resides in the Netherlands,” Mash reported.

Yusupov confirmed to Regnum that the investigation was underway, but maintained his family’s innocence:

“Yes, indeed, there is such a case. But if you open [Russia’s] law on citizenship, you’ll see that no crime has been committed. The [Russian] embassy was notified that the children had U.S. citizenship.”

It is so far unclear whether Nailya Yusupova is under investigation.

The penalties for failing to notify the authorities of one's foreign citizenship are outlined in Article 330.2 of Russia's Criminal Code. It provides for a fine of up to 200,000 rubles ($2,200) or community service for up to 400 hours.

Judge Yusupov was responsible for upholding the arrest of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva earlier this year.

Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-U.S. citizen who was freed in early August as part of the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War, was detained in June of 2023 while awaiting her return flight to Prague from Kazan. Authorities seized her passports and phone, subsequently releasing her but barring her from leaving the country.

After five months, Kurmasheva was fined 10,000 rubles ($109) for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities.

Unable to leave Russia without her documents, Kurmasheva was arrested in October, jailed, and charged with failing to declare herself as a “foreign agent.” Two months later, additional charges were brought against her for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military.

In July, a court in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, sentenced Kurmasheva to six-and-a-half years in prison. She was released on August 1 alongside two other U.S. citizens — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.