{"id":55397,"date":"2026-02-18T11:04:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/?post_type=news&p=55397"},"modified":"2026-02-18T16:09:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:09:50","slug":"russian-investigators-have-opened-a-new-criminal-case-against-nikita-uvarov-the-principal-defendant-in-the-so-called-kansk-teenagers-case","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/russian-investigators-have-opened-a-new-criminal-case-against-nikita-uvarov-the-principal-defendant-in-the-so-called-kansk-teenagers-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian investigators have opened a new criminal case against Nikita Uvarov, the principal defendant in the so-called \u2018Kansk teenagers\u2019 case\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nikita Uvarov, now 20, has been transferred from Penal Colony No. 31 in Krasnoyarsk Region to the Krasnoyarsk pre-trial detention centre SIZO-1. His mother, Anna Uvarova, was informed<\/a> by telephone that a new case had been opened against her son. The regional branch of the Investigative Committee of Russia stated<\/a> that he is charged under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code, participation in the activities of an extremist organisation, an offence punishable by up to six years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His five-year sentence, imposed in February 2022, had been due to expire on 19 March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original prosecution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikita Uvarov was first detained in June 2020, aged 15, alongside two classmates, Bogdan Andreyev and Denis Mikhaylenko, in the Siberian town of Kansk. On 5 June that year the boys were distributing leaflets in support of Azat Miftakhov and defendants in the \u2018Network\u2019 case. Officers of the Federal Security Service traced and detained them, seizing their mobile phones. Material recovered from the devices formed the basis of charges of undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity under Article 205.3 of the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigators alleged that the teenagers had studied the manufacture and handling of explosive substances and devices, purportedly with the intention of blowing up the local FSB office in Kansk. Nikita Uvarov did not admit guilt. He was placed in pre-trial detention, released pending trial in 2021 after the case attracted public attention, and on 10 February 2022 was sentenced to five years in a penal colony. Bogdan Andreyev and Denis Mikhaylenko received suspended sentences after cooperating with the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case drew additional scrutiny amid reports that investigators had cited online discussions about blowing up an FSB building in the computer game Minecraft as evidence of criminal intent. Although such correspondence was referenced during the investigation, the alleged in-game explosion did not appear in the final indictment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After turning 18, Nikita Uvarov was transferred from a juvenile correctional facility to a general-regime colony. During his imprisonment he was repeatedly placed in a punishment cell, including earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new charge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 17 February it emerged that Nikita Uvarov had been moved from IK-31 to SIZO-1 in Krasnoyarsk in connection with a new criminal case. The regional Investigative Committee later stated that, in February and July 2025, while serving his sentence, he had \u2018presented himself as a participant in a banned extremist international public movement\u2019<\/em> and conveyed to other inmates \u2018rules of life and behaviour oriented towards the introduction and daily use within the correctional institution of the style of communication and \u201claws\u201d of the criminal world\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official press release did not name the suspect or show a clear image, but all available details in the accompanying video and statement match the case of Nikita Uvarov. The authorities cited the articles of his 2022 conviction and the facility where he had been serving his sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials have indicated that the new case concerns alleged involvement in the banned prison subculture movement AUE. Uvarov\u2019s mother rejects the allegation, stating that criminal subculture was alien to her son both at liberty and in custody. IK-31 is described by former inmates as a so-called \u2018red\u2019 colony, run firmly by the administration and without a functioning prison hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pro-government broadcaster Ren TV aired footage of a man identified as Nikita Uvarov\u2019s cellmate alleging that Nikita spoke to other prisoners about creating both \u2018legal\u2019 and \u2018illegal\u2019 groups opposed to the authorities and expressed admiration for Stepan Bandera\u2019s endurance under torture. The man claimed that Nikita Uvarov had grown more embittered in custody and would commit further crimes upon release. These assertions have not been independently verified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uncertain release<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Russian law, prisoners deemed persistent violators of prison regulations may be subject to extended administrative supervision upon release. Nikita Uvarov had recently been placed in solitary confinement for alleged disciplinary breaches. A hearing at the Soviet District Court of Krasnoyarsk to consider the imposition of administrative supervision had been scheduled for 24 February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Uvarova says she learned of the new proceedings only after attempting to confirm a visit and parcel delivery arranged for 19 February. She had been told that her son would not be released from the punishment cell as expected. The following day she received a call from SIZO-1 informing her of the new case and asking that his retained counsel be notified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During questioning, Nikita Uvarov invoked Article 51 of the Russian Constitution, which entitles a suspect not to testify against himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the first criminal case was opened in 2020, Nikita Uvarov was 15. By the time of his sentencing in February 2022, the proceedings had come to symbolise for many a harder line in cases regarded as politically sensitive. Supporters predicted early release or clemency. He declined to petition the president for a pardon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With one month of his original sentence remaining, it is unclear whether he will now be released in March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-55397","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-krasnoyarsk-krai","news-type-nashi-novosti-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRussian investigators have opened a new criminal case against Nikita Uvarov, the principal defendant in the so-called \u2018Kansk teenagers\u2019 case\u2019 - Political prisoners support. Memorial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new case had been opened against politprisoner Nikita Uvarov. 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