Documented cases

9 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

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

Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Social media

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

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

Convicted

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

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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