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.
Lev Shlosberg sentenced to 11 years and one month over war debate and Daily Mirror repost
Lev Shlosberg, deputy chair of the Yabloko party, has been sentenced by Pskov City Court to 11 years and one month in a penal colony.
14 Aug, 2026
St Petersburg philosopher and theologian remanded in custody over donations to Anti-Corruption Foundation
Igor Zaitsev, a lecturer at the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy, was remanded in custody over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
12 Aug, 2026
Ukrainian civilian held in Russian captivity for four years died shortly after being exchanged
Oleh Kotov, 59, who returned to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange in June, died in late July. By the time he was released, he was already suffering from advanced cancer.
11 Aug, 2026
When the defence itself becomes a battleground: the case of Maria Bonzler
Maria Bonzler, a lawyer who is herself on trial, has appealed to the Kaliningrad legal community not to accept appointment as her court-appointed defence lawyer.
11 Aug, 2026
Jailed political prisoner Bakhrom Khamroev left stateless by Russia
The authorities had revoked the citizenship of Bakhrom Khamroev.
11 Aug, 2026
Native of Karachay-Cherkessia sentenced to life imprisonment for passing information on prisoners recruited to fight in the war against Ukraine and the prison staff who recruited them
The Southern District Military Court has sentenced Alexei Kaplunov to life imprisonment. According to the prosecution, while serving a sentence at a correctional facility, he passed on information to the Freedom of Russia Legion.
06 Aug, 2026
Appeals court increases sentences for two Jehovah’s Witnesses from Omsk
Judge Elena Shtokalenko heard the appeal against the sentences imposed on Leonid Pyzhov and Sergei Rygayev and increased their sentences
06 Aug, 2026
Crimean resident Larysa Haidai has lost almost 15 kilograms in remand custody
Larysa Haidai, 62, who is being held at Simferopol Remand Prison No. 1, has lost almost 15 kilograms, her hair has gone completely grey, and she appears exhausted
05 Aug, 2026
Court releases two more political prisoners convicted in the Baymak mass unrest case
According to Idel.Realii, at least 25 people convicted in connection with the Baymak case have now been released from penal colonies
03 Aug, 2026
Медиазона
Man convicted of preparing to set fire to military facility dies two weeks after release; courts spent a year refusing to free him despite terminal illness
Sergei Sviridov, a 46-year-old resident of Altai Krai, died on 12 June. He had been convicted of preparing to set fire to a military facility
31 Jul, 2026
63-year-old Jehovah’s Witness released after four years in a penal colony
Volodymyr Maladyka and two fellow believers, Yevhen Zhukov and Volodymyr Sakada, were detained in September 2020.
30 Jul, 2026
Ukrainian national held in Russia since 2018 faces new criminal case after formal release
His treatment may be linked to the fact that Serhii Buhaichuk was detained in 2018 on charges of arms smuggling and illegal arms trafficking
30 Jul, 2026
Stavropol Krai resident Sergei Dubkov sentenced to six years for military ‘fakes’
The criminal case was launched over comments Sergei Dubkov left in a Telegram chat room
29 Jul, 2026
Moscow journalist Darya Shipacheva sentenced to twelve years for treason
Judge Sergei Podoprigorov of the Moscow City Court sentenced journalist and feminist Darya Shipacheva on 29 July 2026 to twelve years’ imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 roubles
23 Jul, 2026
Jehovah’s Witness sentenced to six years in Togliatti
Sergei Fyodorov, a Jehovah’s Witness, was sentenced to six years in a general-regime penal colony in Togliatti on 22 July.
23 Jul, 2026
Volgograd lawyer remanded in custody on charge of repeated discrediting of the army
Lawyer Roman Melnichenko has been remanded in custody on a charge of repeated discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces.
22 Jul, 2026
Former director of a Luhansk arts school sentenced to thirteen years for treason
Marina Kovalenko, 58, from Luhansk, has been sentenced to thirteen years in a penal colony in Crimea on a charge of treason.
21 Jul, 2026
Send 27 essential care packages to political prisoners
We are raising €2,183 to provide 27 essential care packages for political prisoners held in Russian prisons and pre-trial detention centres. Political prisoners in Russia are often deprived of access to adequate food, medicine and other basic necessities. For many, support from outside is the only way to receive essential items that help protect their […]
21 Jul, 2026
Eight people convicted under Russia’s ‘terrorism’ laws every working day in 2025, research finds
In 2025, 1,776 verdicts were handed down in cases under Articles 205 to 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, with 2,078 individuals convicted — an average of eight people per working day.
16 Jul, 2026
Database of the project ‘Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial’
At least 5,648 people in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories have been deprived of liberty with signs of political motivation
16 Jul, 2026
Pensioner from Tver Oblast has six-year sentence upheld over an emotional comment about the tax service
Larisa Mikhai, 60, has had her six-year sentence to a general-regime penal colony upheld on appeal in a case concerning public incitement to terrorism.
14 Jul, 2026
No contact with political prisoner Andrei Trofimov since April
There has been no contact with political prisoner Andrei Trofimov since April. He has not responded to letters and has not been brought out to meet with a lawyer.
13 Jul, 2026
Crimean resident Halyna Dovhopola suffers stroke in Russian penal colony
Halyna Dovhopola, a 71-year-old resident of Sevastopol, has suffered a stroke in a Russian penal colony.
08 Jul, 2026
Luhansk resident convicted of service in the Aidar battalion dies in penal colony
Ibrahim Kudzhanov, who had been sentenced to 5.5 years' imprisonment for serving in the Aidar battalion, has died in a Russian penal colony.
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