Mikhail Loshchinin is a political prisoner
A citizen of both Russia and Belgium who travelled to Russia to visit his father was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment on charges of treason for transferring €30 to an acquaintance in Ukraine
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Mikhail Loshchinin a political prisoner. Loshchinin is being prosecuted on a charge of treason for a money transfer to an acquaintance in Ukraine. Loshchinin has been held in custody in violation of his right to a fair trial. We demand the release of Mikhail Loshchinin and that all criminal charges against him be dropped. We also demand that reports that he was tortured and held unlawfully in detention be investigated, and that those responsible be held to account.
What are the charges against Mikhail Loshchinin?
Mikhail Loshchinin, who was born in Moscow, spent his childhood in Ukraine and then moved to Europe, where he obtained Belgian citizenship in 2008. Prior to his arrest, he lived in Luxembourg and worked as an IT specialist.
In the summer of 2025, Loshchinin travelled to Russia by motorbike to visit his father, who lives in St Petersburg and had recently suffered a heart attack. While crossing the Latvian-Russian border on 1 July, Russian border guards took Loshchinin’s passport and mobile phone from him in order to check them. According to Loshchinin, since the check took a long time, he asked the border guards where he could buy some water. In response, they suggested he follow them to a shop. On the way, the border guards’ vehicle swerved sharply, after which Loshchinin was detained for ‘illegally crossing the border’.
On 4 July, Loshchinin rang his mother in Poland and told her he was being held under supervision in a hotel near the border at his own expense, and that FSB officers had taken his passport, mobile phone and motorcycle keys. On 1 August a lawyer hired by Loshchinin’s relatives met him at this hotel. However, the following day Loshchinin was removed to an unknown destination. It later became known that he had first been placed in a remand prison in Stary Oskol, Belgorod Oblast, where he was held alongside Ukrainian prisoners of war and, according to Loshchinin’s account, subjected to torture and abuse. He was then transferred to a remand prison in Pskov.
Loshchinin was accused of transferring €30 to an acquaintance in Ukraine. The investigative authorities classified this act as treason for ‘providing financial assistance to a representative of a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation’ (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
On 2 June 2026, Mikhail Loshchinin was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment.
Why do we consider Mikhail Loshchinin a political prisoner?
Mikhail Loshchinin and his family claim he transferred the money to an acquaintance in Ukraine for her personal needs. However, even if Loshchinin had transferred the funds to aid the Ukrainian armed forces, this would not constitute a crime. In international law, Russian aggression against Ukraine is illegal and criminal. Donations to the Ukrainian army, moreover, are intended to help repel aggression, not harm Russia’s security. It is the war unleashed by the Russian authorities that threatens Russia’s security.
Irrespective of the lack of grounds for the prosecution, Loshchinin’s abduction and detention for over a month without a court ruling were unlawful.
His criminal prosecution is part of a repressive campaign by the Russian authorities that has resulted in dozens of people being accused of treason and deprived of liberty for making donations both to Ukrainian funds and to ordinary Ukrainians.
A detailed description of Mikhail Loshchinin’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Mikhail Loshchinin at the following address:
RU:
Российская Федерация, 180000, г. Псков, ул. Некрасова, д. 39, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Псковской области, Лощинин Михаил Михайлович, 1977 г. р.
EN:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Loshchinin (born 1977), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Pskov Oblast, 39 Nekrasova Street, Pskov, 180000, Russia.
You can also send emails via 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.
