Repressions for alleged assistance to Ukrainian intelligence, sentences for public statements, and prosecutions over calls to release prisoners
Read our overview of these and other cases of political prisoners we have recognised this week
Gennady Blinov and Anatoly Kapralov, both from Chelyabinsk, were detained on 9 November 2023. Investigators alleged that they had carried out financial transactions ‘in the interests of Ukrainian intelligence services’ and transferred a batch of activated SIM cards to Ukraine, said to have been used in attacks on Russian military facilities. Anatoly Kapralov was subjected to torture following his arrest. On 20 October 2025, both men were convicted of treason: Gennady Blinov was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment, Anatoly Kapralov to 15 years in a high-security penal colony.
Viktor Karas, a Ukrainian national from Cherkasy, was prosecuted on charges of participation in a terrorist organisation and undergoing terrorist training. He had served in the Azov regiment since 2015, took part in the defence of Azovstal in Mariupol in 2022, and was captured in May of that year. On 25 October 2024, while still a prisoner of war, he was sentenced to 18 years in a high-security colony.
Sergei Madyudin, from Moscow Oblast, was convicted of ‘incitement to terrorism’ after posting on the Telegram channel of the ‘I Want to Live’ project about the possibility of joining the Ukrainian armed forces, including Azov. On 1 September 2025, he was sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment.
Anton Kalakin, an animal welfare volunteer from Irkutsk, was also prosecuted under incitement provisions. Responding to remarks by the regional governor that wartime spending took precedence over school repairs, Anton Kalakin wrote: ‘Hang them from the lampposts along Karl Marx Street without trial or investigation.’ He also called for the release of captured Azov fighters. On 23 October 2025, he received a six-year custodial sentence.
Sergei Komarov, an entrepreneur from Irkutsk Oblast, faced similar charges after allegedly calling on Telegram for ‘the killing of the President of the Russian Federation’. On 22 July 2025, he was sentenced to five years in a penal colony.
Roman Gribov, from Kostroma, was detained in July 2025. He reports that he was beaten and tortured, then held for 13 days under administrative arrest before being remanded in custody on charges of incitement to terrorism and extremism. The case centres on online comments in which he allegedly suggested ‘destroying Moscow with a nuclear explosion’ and called for former prisoners recruited for the war to be ‘shot or hanged’. Roman Gribov maintains that the posts were made by someone else using his account.
Olga Sivushkova, a transgender woman from Vologda, is also being prosecuted for alleged incitement. In 2023, Olga Sivushkova, previously a prosecution witness in the ‘New Greatness’ case, reposted on Telegram a link to a YouTube broadcast announced by Mark Feigin featuring a representative of the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion. On 12 May 2025, Olga Sivushkova was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
Mikhail Kupriyanov, a shop assistant from Ivanovo Oblast, was detained in June 2023. After serving an administrative sentence, he was placed in pre-trial detention under criminal charges. A comment referring to the destruction of the Crimean Bridge and a ‘call to kill one of Russian politicians’ led to accusations of incitement to terrorism. He was later additionally charged with preparation for treason, allegedly planning to travel to Ukraine to join the armed forces. On 15 October 2024, he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.
You can read more about these cases, including addresses to write to the political prisoners, on our website.
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