On October 16, the homes of doctors from Moscow, Ryazan, and Izhevsk were searched as they signed a letter calling for a criminal investigation into the death of politician Alexei Navalny in a penal colony in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. This was reported by Ivan Zhdanov, the head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation*.
In Ryazan, law enforcement officers searched the home of anesthesiologist Ekaterina Terekhina. She was part of a chat advocating for doctors detained on politically motivated charges and had endorsed an appeal in support of Moscow pediatrician Nadezhda Buyanova, who is being tried for spreading "fake information" about the army. According to OVD-Info, Terekhina was released without any legal status being assigned to her.
Alexander Vanyukov, the author of the letter calling for an investigation into Navalny’s death, told TV Rain that at least three other doctors were detained following the searches. Important Stories identified one of the detainees as pediatrician Milana Z.; however, her name does not appear among the letter’s signatories.
The doctors' demand to initiate a criminal case regarding Navalny's death was published in late August and signed by 188 people. The signatories believe Navalny died due to the negligence of the penal colony staff in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.