Documented cases

14 people held for political reasons in Russia, Belarus, Georgia and Central Asia. Search by name, or filter by country, charge, arrest date and sentence.

Country

Urgency

Evgenii Melikhov

Evgenii Melikhov was sentenced to imprisonment for public calls for terrorism. His prosecution stemmed from a comment he posted online related to power outages in Ukraine.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMHE

25 YRS

Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Activism

Unknown female 17

An unidentified woman from Chelyabinsk was sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment for extremist calls. The charges stem from her posting materials that supported the 'Legion Freedom of Russia' in April 2022.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Unknown male 425

An unknown male resident of the Chelyabinsk region was detained in February 2025 for allegedly calling for terrorist activities. He was reportedly sentenced to five and a half years in a general regime penal colony.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 24, 2026

Nadezhda Vertyakhovskaya

Eco-activist Nadezhda Vertyakhovskaya is being prosecuted for libel against a judge following comments she made online regarding a previous ruling. The case was initiated after a student reported her comments to the police.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 7, 2026

awaiting

RU-CMKO

49 YRS

Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk region

Social media

Dmitry Simbaev

Dmitry Simbaev, a Russian citizen with Irish citizenship, was detained in Chelyabinsk airport in August 2025, accused of justifying terrorism and inciting extremism. The charges appear to stem from messages sent by his wife criticizing the Russian government's actions in Ukraine.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Tofik Abdulgaziev

Tofik Abdulgaziev, a Crimean Tatar serving a 12-year sentence, faces a new charge of disrespecting the court. He is suffering from a malignant brain tumor and has been struggling for two years to be released on medical grounds.

HEALTH CONCERNS INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · OCT 5, 2026

Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk region

treason

Alexander Novosad

Alexander Novosad, a 52-year-old resident of Chelyabinsk, claims that FSB officers beat him, pulled down his pants, and forced him to sign a confession during his arrest. He is accused of treason for allegedly transferring 15,000 rubles to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

TORTURE REPORTED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · AUG 20, 2026

Detained

RU-CMI8

37 YRS

Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Protest

Azat Ahatovich Kusarbaev

Azat Kusarbaev was sentenced to 5 years and 5 months in prison for participating in mass riots and using violence against a government official. He is a father of three young children.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk region

treason

Velimor Valerevich Merkulov

Velimor Merkulov was sentenced to 13 years for high treason and public justification of terrorism. The charges stem from allegedly providing information about mobilization to Ukrainian special services and posting pro-Ukrainian messages online, including messages justifying the bombing of the Kerch bridge.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 20, 2026

Bakal, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Other

Nasryev Roman Raifovich

Roman Nasryev, a musician and Rosgvardia officer, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment for committing a terrorist act and undergoing training for terrorist activities. He was accused of committing the crime with a group.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMI8

38 YRS

Bakal, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Other

Nuriev Alexey Talgatovich

Alexey Nuriev, a musician and firefighter, was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment on charges of committing a terrorist act and undergoing training for terrorist activities. He was arrested on October 11, 2022.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Anonymous

A resident of the Chelyabinsk region is facing a criminal case for repeatedly discrediting the Russian Armed Forces due to posts about the shelling of Mariupol. The court ruled for compulsory medical treatment for "fake facts" and disrespect to days of military glory.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

on trial

RU-CMGN

28 YRS

Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Social media

Maxim Gennadievich Voronovsky

Maxim Voronovsky, a supporter of Alexei Navalny, was arrested and charged with public calls for terrorism and its justification online. He was later found to be insane and ordered to indefinite compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Released

RU-CMI8

46 YRS

Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Social media

Diana Nefedova

Diana Nefedova was prosecuted for posting information about the killings of civilians in Bucha on her VKontakte page. She was sentenced to 6 months of correctional labour.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

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