Arrest warrant issued!

Ms Greenwood adjourned the matter and issued a warrant for Mr Boikov’s arrest, telling the court he needed to be present to enter a plea.

Videos were circulating on social media in which Mr Boikov said he had to make a “tough decision” and seek refuge in the Russian consulate.

“I have no faith in the legal system, no faith in the police, no faith in the courts to be fair in this process,” he said in the video.

Mr Boikov intends to enter a guilty plea, his lawyer told a court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“So in order to mount the defence, in order to conduct a fair process, I’ve decided to enter the Russian consulate and ask the Russian government for political asylum.”

Mr Davis confirmed to NCA NewsWire he was in the Russian consulate.

He said Mr Boikov had not made “any grand announcements” but was “close” to doing so.

Mr Davis said his client’s action is “totally defendable” and in normal circumstances he would have a “good prospect” of winning the case.

“Because of the situation … it would take six months to get to a hearing; for good reason he might enter a guilty plea and have it dealt with,” Mr Davis said.

He said he is currently in the process of dealing with the arrest warrant and having it resolved “promptly”.

Mr Boikov has amassed nearly 230,000 followers across his social media accounts, which include YouTube, Telegram and Facebook.

The 32-year-old was a prominent personality in the anti-vaccine mandate protests in Canberra in 2022 and claims he is the leader of the Australian Cossacks – a group which promotes pro-Russian government sentiment.