Documented cases

6 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

Natalia Doroshchenko

Natalia Doroshchenko was sentenced to five and a half years for justifying terrorism due to comments about the war in Ukraine. Her friend stated that sentences like 'I am against war' were used to build the case.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMI8

UNKNOWN

Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast

Other

Unknown male 520

Unknown male 520 is a former security official from Irkutsk. He is at large and faces charges under Article 280 of the Criminal Code, but no verdict has been reached.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast

political

Sergey Uglanitsa

Sergey Uglanitsa, an entrepreneur and former deputy, has been sent to pre-trial detention (SIZO) on charges of publicly justifying terrorism online. He is known for his anti-war stance following the invasion of Ukraine.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 14, 2026

awaiting

RU-CMTE

UNKNOWN

Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast

Social media

Maria Makhmutova

An Irkutsk blogger was sentenced to 2 years and 7 months in a settlement colony for allegedly biting a police officer and insulting an inspector. This followed her social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 5, 2026

Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast

Activism

Ilya Podkamennyi

Ilya Podkamennyi was sentenced to 12 years in prison for extremism and terrorism-related charges, including preparing an explosion at a military recruitment office. The charges stemmed from online comments, possession of materials related to making incendiary devices, and actions such as attaching leaflets to railway tracks.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast

Activism

Danil Tomshin

Danil Tomshin, a resident of the Irkutsk region, was detained on charges of incitement to extremism for distributing leaflets advocating for the separation of Siberia from Russia. After giving his testimony, he committed suicide.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

unknown

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Letter-writing guides: Russia · Belarus

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