UFA, Russia -- An opposition activist in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan has been found alive after going missing for days.
Ilham Yanberdin went missing on October 11.
He issued a video statement overnight after he left a police station in Bashkortostan’s capital, Ufa, on October 19, thanking all those who were concerned about his fate.
"The situation is complex. As for the rest, I will tell you about it later...I will place [a post] on the Internet and everything will then be clear," he said.
It remains unclear where and how Yanberdin was found.
The Investigative Committee said shortly before his online statement that the activist was found alive but did not give any details.
Late on October 19, Yanberdin's wife, Rasima Manayeva, said police had informed her that he had been found alive "and soon will be transferred to Ufa."
Yanberdin's colleagues, friends, and relatives became increasingly worried about his fate after some of the activist’s belongings were found in a forest in Ufa on October 17.
Yanberdin, 41, has been known for his opposition activism for years. He has been fined several times, sentenced to community work, and handed several multiday jail terms for taking part in unsanctioned rallies in recent years.
On October 15, while he was missing, a court in Ufa ordered Yanberdin and two other opposition activists to pay hefty fines to compensate police for working during a weekend in January, when the activists organized unsanctioned rallies to support jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
