The exiled Russian legal rights group Avtozak Live announced on Wednesday that it plans to shut down its operations by the end of 2025, attributing this decision to ongoing financial constraints that have rendered its work untenable.

The organization, which translates from Russian as “police van,” stated that it will complete its current legal obligations before winding down. It has stopped accepting new assistance requests.

“Regrettably, the project has struggled to secure adequate funding for several years,” the organization noted in its statement.

Established in 2019 as a platform for monitoring protests, Avtozak Live changed its focus in 2023 to offer legal support for Russians accused of serious crimes such as terrorism, treason, and sabotage. It aimed to address cases that other rights organizations had ignored, only taking on those where no victims were involved.

The project has operated in an increasingly dangerous climate following Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine. It closed its physical offices in Russia in June 2022, with most of its staff relocating abroad. In May 2024, Russian authorities attempted to block its website, alleging that it was supporting Western sanctions.

Avtozak Live primarily relied on donations from online channels and deliberately avoided funding from inside Russia to protect its donors from potential criminal charges.

In its final announcement, the organization revealed that it had assisted in 23 cases over the past two years, both public and private. It also mentioned a debt of approximately 1 million rubles ($12,400) owed to lawyers handling five ongoing cases related to terrorism and sabotage.