On Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court classified the Congress of People’s Deputies—a political group based in Poland and led by exiled former State Duma member Ilya Ponomaryov—as a terrorist organization.

In its decision, the court asserted that the Congress of People’s Deputies engages in actions that “propagate, justify, and support terrorism.” It highlighted that Ponomaryov, who presides over the congress, along with executive council member Andrei Sidelnikov, were convicted last year of endorsing terrorism publicly.

The Congress of People’s Deputies derives its name from the last Soviet parliament and aims to establish a coalition of former Russian politicians in exile. The organizers claim that the group aspires to serve as a prospective transitional government in the event that President Vladimir Putin is ousted from power.

Its leadership, which includes Ponomaryov and former State Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov, as well as lawyers Mark Feygin and Yelena Lukianova, contends that their previous electoral positions grant them legitimacy.

The designation as a terrorist organization means that Russian citizens who engage with the group may now face imprisonment for up to 20 years.

In April 2023, prosecutors labeled this movement as “undesirable,” accusing it of jeopardizing national security and encouraging separatism.

Ponomaryov, noted for being the sole State Duma member to vote against Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, left Russia in 2016 after facing embezzlement charges. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he has openly advocated for the forceful takeover of power in Russia.

As a result, Russian authorities have branded him a “foreign agent” and included him on the national list of “terrorists and extremists.”