MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Vladimir Ashurkov, an accomplice of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and a suspect put on a wanted list in Russia, confirmed on Monday that he has applied for a political asylum in the United Kingdom.

“Some time ago I asked the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to be granted an asylum due to political persecution from the Russian Federation authorities,” Ashurkov wrote on Twitter, giving no further comments.

Ashurkov is suspected of embezzling funds for Navalny’s election campaign during the 2013 Moscow mayoral election. He is among three suspects in the case, including Konstantin Yankauskas and Nikolay Lyaskin.

In an application form, Ashurkov said the case against him was opened in Russia in late May, and he was pressed with charges in early June. The suspect left Russia for Israel in early April and later moved to the UK.

Together with his family, Ashurkov reportedly lives in a prestigious area of London.