Makar Nikolaev is a political prisoner
A student who travelled from Germany to Russia on vacation has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony for comments in support of the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Makar Nikolaev a political prisoner. Nikolaev was convicted of justifying terrorism for comments he made on Instagram. Nikolaev’s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand Nikolaev’s release and the dropping of all criminal charges against him.
What were the charges against Makar Nikolaev?
Makar Nikolaev graduated from secondary school in Ufa in 2022. At school, he won the All-Russian competition ‘My Country — My Russia.’ Drawing on his experience searching for information about his deceased great-grandfather, he developed a way of finding information about people who died during the Great Patriotic War. Makar Nikolaev went on to study political science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
When he travelled to Ufa to visit his family in August 2024, he was detained by FSB officers for comments he had posted on the Instagram pages of the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps. Nikolaev had referred to the soldiers in these units as ‘heroes of the new Russia’ and wrote: ‘You’re doing great, already taking out tanks like nuts. Let them keep their guard up, those Putin scum.’
The investigative authorities later claimed Nikolaev wrote the comments ‘not wanting to contradict the anti-Russian propaganda’ spread by other students. Nikolaev was charged with justifying terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and was remanded in custody. On 30 May 2025, he was sentenced to six years in a general regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Makar Nikolaev a political prisoner?
Makar Nikolaev was convicted of justifying terrorism on the sole grounds that the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps were designated as terrorist organisations in Russia. These decisions were unlawful, since both units are part of the Ukrainian armed forces and as such are engaged in resisting Russian military aggression. Under international law, the actions of armies participating in an armed conflict cannot be classified as terrorism. Therefore, Makar Nikolaev’s comments in support of the Ukrainian army were not a crime.
A detailed description of Makar Nikolaev’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Makar Nikolaev at the following address:
RU:
620024, Свердловская область, г. Екатеринбург, Елизаветинское шоссе, д. 19, ФКУ СИЗО-5 ГУФСИН России по Свердловской области, Николаев Макар Дмитриевич, 2004 г. р.
EN:
Makar Dmitrievich Nikolaev (born 2004), Remand Prison No. 5, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Sverdlovsk Oblast, 19 Yelizavetinskoe Shosse, Yekaterinburg, 620024, Russia.
You can also send emails via F-Pismo (for payment with Russian bank cards), ZT (for payment with all bank cards), and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
