Larisa Tuptsokova

Larisa Tuptsokova is a Circassian translator, scholar, and language teacher who has lived in Georgia for over 10 years. In August 2025, Russian state media aired a defamatory segment about the Circassian Cultural Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group which Tuptsokova was previously affiliated with. Following this, an anonymous online smear campaign against Tuptsokova and other individuals affiliated with the group took place. Russian authorities launched a criminal investigation for “organizing extremist activity” against Tuptsokova in September and her parents’ home in Russia was searched in October. In November, she was added to the Russian government’s list of terrorists and extremists.