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.
Database of the project ‘Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial’
At least 5,730 people in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories have been deprived of liberty with signs of political motivation
14 Oct, 2026
Muslim man jailed in Russia over Hizb ut-Tahrir links dies in penal colony
Rustam Khalikov jailed in Russia over alleged involvement in the banned group Hizb ut-Tahrir has died in a penal colony.
14 Oct, 2026
Russia’s FSB releases ‘confession’ video of former teacher detained in occupied Kherson
Russia’s security service, the FSB, has published a video in which a woman from the occupied part of Kherson Oblast says she was detained over comments she posted on the Telegram messaging app.
13 Oct, 2026
Anna Sotsenko, 71, on day 43 of hunger strike in Simferopol remand prison
Anna Sotsenko, a resident of occupied Crimea, continues the hunger strike she began on 1 September.
13 Oct, 2026
Jehovah’s Witness Sean Pike, a Guyanese and Russian citizen, is free after five years in prison for his faith
Sean Pike walked out of Penal Colony No. 9 in Russia’s Novgorod Oblast, having served his sentence in full.
08 Oct, 2026
Arctic geese specialist Sofya Rozenfeld sentenced to three and a half years over donations to Anti-Corruption Foundation
A Moscow court has sentenced Sofya Rozenfeld, a 50-year-old scientist and specialist on Arctic waterfowl, to three and a half years in a general-regime penal colony on charges of financing an 'extremist' organisation over two donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
08 Oct, 2026
Political prisoner convicted over Freedom of Russia Legion application form dies in Krasnodar remand prison
Igor Yakovenko, a 52-year-old political prisoner convicted over an application form for the Freedom of Russia Legion, has died in a remand prison in Krasnodar. He had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
05 Oct, 2026
Perm activist deported from US sentenced to six years on terrorism charges over mannequin of Putin hung from bridge
Leonid Melyokhin, an activist from Perm who was deported from the US, has been sentenced to six years in a general-regime penal colony on charges of public justification of terrorism.
01 Oct, 2026
Luhansk student sentenced to more than 12 years on high treason charges
Kristina Odintsova, 20, has been sentenced to 12 years and two months in a general-regime penal colony on charges of passing information to Ukrainian security services.
29 Sep, 2026
Arkhangelsk man detained at airport while trying to leave Russia sentenced to 10 years on charges of attempting to join the Russian Volunteer Corps
Ivan Shadrin has been sentenced to 10 years on charges of attempting to join the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).
29 Sep, 2026
Yegor Gulyaev from St Petersburg sentenced to six years over three reposts about the war
Yegor Gulyaev has been sentenced to six years in a general-regime penal colony over three reposts about the war in Ukraine.
28 Sep, 2026
Political scientist Aleksandr Kynev diagnosed with two leg fractures after detention
Political scientist Aleksandr Kynev has been diagnosed with two fractures to his lower leg following his detention.
25 Sep, 2026
Political scientist Aleksandr Kynev remanded in custody on charges of drug trafficking, denies guilt
Political scientist Aleksandr Kynev has been remanded in custody on a charge of illegal production, sale or dispatch of drugs.
24 Sep, 2026
Should I stay or should I go (back)? – 2. Another 24 stories of Russians who returned to their homeland and ended up behind bars
Our new report examines 24 cases of people who returned for entirely ordinary reasons. Instead, many were detained, prosecuted, and accused of serious offences
21 Sep, 2026
‘I lay down on the concrete floor and lost consciousness’: Maria Bontsler’s health continues to deteriorate, partly due to torturous conditions during transport to and from court
The health of Maria Bontsler, who has been arrested on a charge of state treason, continues to deteriorate.
21 Sep, 2026
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov: political prisoners should be on Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s agenda in Moscow
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, the former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, spoke about Russia's political prisoners in an interview with CNN.
17 Sep, 2026
Pensioner using crutches in occupied Tokmak sentenced to 12 years for financing the Ukrainian Armed Forces
A 69-year-old resident of Tokmak, in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been sentenced to 12 years in a general-regime penal colony on charges of financing the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
16 Sep, 2026
Political prisoner Dmitry Lyamin sentenced to 17 years over conversations in penal colony
Political prisoner Dmitry Lyamin has been handed a second sentence in a case over inducing a fellow prisoner to join the Ukraine army.
16 Sep, 2026
Philosopher and sociologist from Komi sentenced to seven years over project to develop opposition media and protect Indigenous peoples
Nikolai Zyuzev, an academic with Russian and Canadian citizenship, was sentenced to 7 years in a high-security penal colony on charges of high treason.
15 Sep, 2026
Russian cuisine historian sentenced to six years over Bucha massacre post
Pavel Syutkin, a historian of Russian cuisine and writer, has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony for spreading military 'fake news'.
15 Sep, 2026
Chechen activist Mansur Movlayev, awaiting extradition from Kazakhstan, attempts suicide
Mansur Movlayev has attempted suicide in a pre-trial detention centre in Almaty, where he is being held pending extradition to Russia.
15 Sep, 2026
Translator from Irkutsk Oblast who tried to reach her partner in Ukraine has sentence increased
Svetlana Savelyeva, convicted over her attempt to travel to Ukraine, has had her sentence increased by two months on appeal.
15 Sep, 2026
Zabaykalsky Krai resident sentenced to six years over comments on Ukrainian organisations and the Second World War
Purbotsyren Sangadeyev, a resident of Zabaykalsky Krai, has been sentenced to six years in a general-regime penal colony over comments.
11 Sep, 2026
Eighteen-month-old daughter of Crimean woman Oleksandra Strilets, convicted of high treason, dies
The eighteen-month-old daughter of Oleksandra Strilets, a Crimean resident convicted of high treason, died the day after being discharged from the hospital where she had remained since birth.
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