All assessments of the criminal prosecution of specific individuals, including the designation of detained persons as political prisoners, reflect the position of our Project. Such assessments are not based on the views and assessments of the individuals being prosecuted, their families, friends or lawyers, and do not imply their consent or approval. The information regarding the facts of specific criminal cases published on our Project’s website has been obtained from public sources and does not imply or require the consent of the individuals mentioned therein or their representatives.

Kazantsev Vladimir Nikolaevich

Kazantsev Vladimir Nikolaevich was born on 2 July 1972, lived in Chelyabinsk. He was a human rights and environmental activist.

On 19 October 2022 he was sentenced under part 3 (‘Large-scale fraud’) and part 1 of Article 30, Article 4 (‘Preparation for fraud by an organised group or on a particularly large scale’) of article 159 of the Criminal Code to 4 years in a general regime colony; Chelyabinsk activists and journalists claimed that his prosecution was political.

He was taken into custody on 19 October 2022, before that he was under house arrest, later released on personal recognisance (an obligation not to leave the city).

He died in Penal Colony №11 of the State Penitentiary Service of the Chelyabinsk Region on 17 December 2024 due to a cardiovascular disease.

  • List of those who died as victims of politically motivated persecution