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.
Sixteen men detained in Karachay-Cherkessia over LGBTQ dating group as organiser faces extremism charges
Sixteen men have been detained in Karachay-Cherkessia following a targeted crackdown on an LGBTQ dating group, one of them faces extremism charges.
29 Apr, 2026
71-year-old veteran of the Tatar national movement sentenced to six years over anti-war post and Legion repost
Fazyl Valiakhmetov, a 71-year-old local historian and journalist, was sentenced to six years over two posts shared on the social network.
29 Apr, 2026
Samara resident Sergei Guskov sentenced to six and a half years for labelling russian military actions ‘expansionist’
A resident of Samara, Sergei Guskov, was sentenced to six and a half years for comments concerning the Russia-Ukraine war and the St George ribbon.
29 Apr, 2026
Political prisoner Igor Yakunichev transferred to unknown location amid denial of urgent medical care
Igor Yakunichev, currently serving a 12-year sentence for social media posts regarding the war, has been moved to an undisclosed location.
28 Apr, 2026
Finland halts deportation of mother and son who aided Ukraine
The Finnish authorities have suspended the deportation of Olga Belova and her son, Nikita Belov, who faced imminent removal to Russia
27 Apr, 2026
Former Kuzbass trade unionist Oleg Tyryshkin dies in custody
Oleg Tyryshkin, a former miner, trade union activist, died on 4 February 2026 while in state custody at Pre-Trial Detention Centre.
24 Apr, 2026
Alexei Navalny’s lawyer Igor Sergunin has been released
Igor Sergunin, who served as legal counsel to the late Alexei Navalny, has been released from Pre-trial Detention Centre.
23 Apr, 2026
New testimony reveals final days of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna in captivity
New testimony obtained by Reporters Without Borders sheds light on the final days of Viktoriia Roshchyna while held in Russian captivity.
23 Apr, 2026
Ukrainian pensioner jailed for 14 years for buying war bonds
A 66-year-old woman from the Zaporizhzhia region Larysa Bieliaieva has been sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for purchasing Ukrainian war bonds.
22 Apr, 2026
67-Year-Old Crimean blacksmith Oleg Prikhodko faces life sentence
Oleg Prikhodko, a 67-year-old blacksmith from Crimea and a veteran of the Maidan protests, is facing the prospect of life imprisonment.
21 Apr, 2026
Crimean Tatar activist Tofig Abdulgaziev faces ‘contempt of court’ charge after hearing on release on health grounds
A new criminal case has been opened against Tofig Abdulgaziev, a terminally ill Crimean Tatar activist, following a court hearing intended to consider his release on compassionate grounds.
21 Apr, 2026
Politically Motivated Prosecutions in Q1 2026
While the first quarter of 2026 saw a marginal decline in newly documented cases of politically motivated persecution, the reality is far from a reprieve
21 Apr, 2026
New details emerge in death of preacher Khristolyub Vegan: Found hanged in cell with ‘broken’ CCTV
Khristolyub Vegan was found hanged in a punishment isolation cell (SHIZO), according to the official account provided to his father.
17 Apr, 2026
Christian preacher and blogger Khristolyub Vegan dies in Voronezh penal colony
Christian preacher and blogger Khristolyub Vegan has died in a penal colony in Voronezh.
15 Apr, 2026
First Department: Putin issues official authorisation for extrajudicial detention of those ‘opposing the Special Military Operation’
A formal directive issued by Vladimir Putin on 8 March 2022 mandates the ‘organisation of the reception and accommodation of persons obstructing the Special Military Operation’.
14 Apr, 2026
An artist from Komsomolsk-on-Amur who was arrested over a comment died by suicide in a pre-trial detention center
Andrey Akuzin, a 53-year-old artist and set designer, has died by suicide in a pre-trial detention centre in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
13 Apr, 2026
Political prisoner Alexander Shestun declares dry hunger strike after escalating protest in detention
Political prisoner Alexander Shestun, currently held at a prison hospital in Torzhok in Russia’s Tver region, formally declared a dry hunger strike on 8 April.
10 Apr, 2026
Novaya Gazeta journalist Oleg Roldugin remanded in custody over alleged misuse of personal data
A Moscow court has ordered the pre-trial detention of Oleg Roldugin, executive editor of Novaya Gazeta, in a case concerning the alleged illegal use and transfer of personal data, according to Mediazona
10 Apr, 2026
Kherson resident, 55, jailed for 12 years on treason charges
A Russian-installed court has sentenced Natalia Povetkina, a 55-year-old resident of the Kherson region, to 12 years.
09 Apr, 2026
A 65-year-old journalist was arrested in Chita on charges of treason
Authorities in Chita have taken a 65-year-old journalist Alexander Andreev into custody on charges of treason.
09 Apr, 2026
The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned the attempt to criminalize Memorial
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has called on the Russian authorities to withdraw their claim to designate Memorial as an extremist organisation.
08 Apr, 2026
Activists in ‘Vesna’ case handed prison terms of up to 12 years for ‘extremism’
Several defendants in the ‘Vesna’ case have been sentenced to between six and twelve years in prison.
08 Apr, 2026
Indigenous rights defender remanded in custody in case linked to banned ‘Aborigen Forum’
A second arrest has been confirmed in the ‘Aborigen Forum’ case. Natalya Leongardt, a specialist in the rights of Russia’s indigenous peoples of the North, was detained on 17 December 2025.
18 Mar, 2026
Political Prisoner Vladimir Osipov Dies in Ukhta Detention Centre
Vladimir Osipov, sentenced to six and a half years in a penal colony, has died in the Ukhta pre-trial detention centre.
Our website uses cookies for statistical purposes to improve the quality of our website.
If you agree to the use of cookies for these purposes, click “I agree” and continue to use the site.
To make the request form work, we use Google Recaptcha, which helps distinguish you from web robots sending
spam and other similar information. To do this, you must check the box next to “I agree with the use of
performance cookies."
These cookies are essential to make the site work and cannot be switched off. They do not store any data
which can identify you personally, and are deleted immediately upon leaving the site.
Performance cookies
These cookies are used to measure site traffic and data sources so that we can
improve and improve the operation of the site. They help us find out which pages are most popular and how
users use the site. For these purposes, we use the Google Analytics statistics system. We do not distribute
collected information. Such information is completely anonymous and does not directly identify you.
