Aleksei Volsky from Nizhny Novgorod is a political prisoner

He has been accused of spreading ‘fake news’ about the Russian army and placed under house arrest

The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Aleksei Volsky a political prisoner. Volsky has been charged with the criminal offence of ‘public dissemination of information known to be false about the use of the Russian army’ for a post on the VK social media site in which he discussed the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Volsky’s criminal prosecution directly violates his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial.

We demand the immediate release of Aleksei Volsky and an end to his criminal prosecution.

Who is Aleksei Volsky and what are the charges against him?

Aleksei Volsky is a young man with a disability from Nizhny Novgorod (450 km east of Moscow).

Volsky was charged with the criminal offence of spreading ‘fake news’ about the Russian military (Article 207.3, Part 1, of the Russian Criminal Code) for a post he wrote on his page on VK on 15 April 2022.

The post contained his thoughts about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which ended with the following words: ‘Well, and of course, this post is in support of Ukraine and the victims of the war. I feel very sorry for the residents of Ukraine who have suffered at the hands of Russian occupiers, as many people do. I have personally been in touch with an acquaintance from Ukraine and heard many sad stories. For example, how Russian soldiers kill husbands and then rape their wives. I saw a video of them shooting civilians from a tank. And, well, I saw the aftermath of the arrival of the Russian troops. A lot of dead locals and pure devastation. In general, the Russian occupiers and the Russian government are to blame. They are doing inhuman things.’

The Investigative Committee considered such reasoning to constitute ‘dissemination of information known to be false about the actions of the Russian army.’ On 13 July 2023, at the court hearing on pre-trial conditions, the investigator asked for Volsky to be remanded in custody. However, the court took into account the fact that Aleksei has been disabled since childhood and placed him under house arrest. Volsky faces up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Why do we consider Volsky a political prisoner?

Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code on spreading military ‘fake news’ under which Volsky is being prosecuted is unlawful and repressive. It is intended to intimidate all those whose statements about the Russian invasion of Ukraine differ from the official position of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Article 207.3 was introduced into the Russian Criminal Code following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and from that time has been used as a means to suppress dissent in Russia.

We consider that Aleksei Volsky’s words and actions do not constitute a crime. Volsky simply exercised his legal right to freedom of expression. Moreover, analysis of widely available materials about the Russian invasion of Ukraine suggests it is most likely that the information disseminated by Volsky about the actions of the Russian military is not false: on the contrary, such information is confirmed by established facts and the testimonies of victims and eyewitnesses.

A detailed description of the case and the position of the Human Rights Project are set out on our website.

Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ project agrees with, or approves of, their views, statements, or actions.

How can you help?

Here you can donate to support all political prisoners in Russia.