Aleksei Ustyuzhin is a political prisoner
A resident of Yekaterinburg has been forcibly detained in a psychiatric hospital after being prosecuted for publicly justifying terrorism
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international criteria, considers Aleksei Ustyuzhin a political prisoner. Ustyuzhin was prosecuted on a charge of ‘publicly justifying terrorism on the Internet’ for posting on his VK page a video about the actions of the Free Russia Legion in the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia. Ustyuzhin’s prosecution violated his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand that Aleksei Ustyuzhin be released from the psychiatric hospital where he is detained and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Aleksei Ustyuzhin?
On 13 March 2024, Aleksei Ustyuzhin posted on his VK page a video recording of the programme Vozdukh from the YouTube channel Khodorkovsky LIVE. Among other things, the video reported on combat operations on Russian territory involving the Free Russia Legion, which is fighting on the side of Ukraine. Ustyuzhin commented on the video: ‘A breakthrough into Russian territory by the liberation movement.’ According to the investigative authorities, this comment and the video, ‘contain linguistic and psychological elements that, taken together, constitute justification of the activities of the terrorist organisation Free Russia Legion.’
On 12 September 2024, a criminal case was opened against Ustyuzhin on a charge of public justification of terrorism on the Internet (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code), and he was remanded in custody. On 21 February 2025, Ustyuzhin was declared of unsound mind and transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
On 10 July 2025, Ustyuzhin’s trial began in a military court. Since a person of unsound mind cannot be held criminally responsible, it appears the issue being considered at the trial is the imposition of compulsory measures of a psychiatric nature.
Why do we consider Aleksei Ustyuzhin a political prisoner?
The prosecution of Ustyuzhin is based on an unlawful and unfounded decision by a Russian court to designate the Free Russia Legion a terrorist organisation. The Free Russia Legion is a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces, and its actions during hostilities are not terrorism, but participation in the legitimate defence of Ukraine against aggression.
The charge of ‘justifying terrorism’ is frequently used by the Russian authorities to prosecute dissenters, especially opponents of the war against Ukraine. Neither sharing news nor giving a positive assessment of the activities of one side in an armed conflict constitutes a crime. Even if Ustyuzhin’s publication had posed any danger to the public, it would have been minimal. Imprisonment is a wholly disproportionate penalty.
So far as is known, before the criminal case was opened, Ustyuzhin posed no threat to himself or to the public. Therefore, the decision to declare him of unsound mind must be seen as the result of a politically motivated prosecution. We believe that the compulsory hospitalisation of Aleksei Ustyuzhin is yet another instance of the use of punitive psychiatry.
A detailed description of Aleksei Ustyuzhin’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can write to Aleksei Ustyuzhin at the following address:
RU: 623395, Свердловская обл., г. Полевской, Станционный-Полевской пос., ул. Гагарина, д. 5, Психиатрическая больница № 13 ГУЗ Свердловской области, Устюжину Алексею Владимировичу 1967 г. р.
EN: Aleksei Vladimirovich Ustyuzhin (born 1967), Psychiatric Hospital No. 13, Sverdlovsk Oblast Health Service, 5 Gagarina Street, Stantsionny-Polevskoy settlement, Polevskoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast, 623395, Russia.
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