Documented cases

22 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

Natalya Indukaeva

Natalia Indukaeva faced vandalism charges for writing a message about the war in Ukraine on a cultural center wall. The case was dismissed after she admitted guilt and compensated for the damage.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Alexey Shitik

Alexey Shitik, a journalist and politician, is facing charges for allegedly publishing false information about the Russian Army, civilian deaths in Ukraine, and the Bucha crimes on social media. He previously fled Russia in 2018 after receiving death threats.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Unknown male 88

An unnamed resident of Omsk was fined 350,000 rubles for publicly justifying terrorism due to a social media post praising the arson attack on a military recruiting office in Krasnoyarsk.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Seversk, Tomsk Oblast

Social media

Marina Novikova

Marina Novikova, a lawyer with a visual disability, was fined 1 million roubles for publishing false information about the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine on social media. Her health has deteriorated significantly, but the court continues to schedule sessions despite her condition.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Vladislav Krenik

Vladislav Krenik was sentenced to five years in a colony-settlement after leaving his military unit to avoid being sent to a combat zone. He had requested alternative military service due to a back condition and mental health struggles.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Denis Orlov

Denis Orlov was fined 500,000 rubles for public justification of terrorism. The case was based on a comment he made about the murder of war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky in Telegram.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Unknown male 88

An unidentified male from Omsk was fined 350,000 rubles for publicly justifying terrorism. The charge stemmed from a social media comment praising an arson attack on a military recruiting office in Krasnoyarsk.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 11, 2026

Roman Tyurin

Roman Tyurin died in custody in February 2025 after being sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in a general-regime penal colony. His convictions included discrediting the military and public justification of terrorism, following a series of escalating criminal cases.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · OCT 4, 2026

A. Zaznaev

A resident of Omsk is facing a case for disseminating false information about the Russian Armed Forces. The case was brought before the court in May 2025 and is awaiting a verdict.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Elena Matushevskaya

Producer Elena Matushevskaya was sent to pre-trial detention in Tomsk. She is accused of making several transfers totaling 3,500 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

LAST UPDATED · OCT 18, 2026

Mikhail Aid

Mikhail Aid was sentenced to 14 years in prison for supporting the 'Freedom of Russia' Legion in social media posts and private messages. He was convicted of high treason and terrorism-related offenses.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 7, 2026

Kirill Sedykh

Kirill Sedykh is facing charges of high treason and justifying terrorism. He was added to the Rosfinmonitoring registry in September 2025.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 15, 2026

Eugene Shilderman

Eugene Shilderman was detained in Omsk for allegedly publishing a video on VKontakte that justified the ideology of the Freedom of Russia Legion, a designated terrorist organization. He is charged with justification of terrorism and is currently awaiting trial.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Georgy Tyrkov

A 19-year-old resident of Omsk, Georgy Tyrkov, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for managing Ukrainian Telegram channels and supporting terrorism. He was also accused of high treason and supporting Siberian secessionist movements.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 5, 2026

Dmitry Grigorevich Arkhipov

Dmitry Arkhipov was sentenced to 11 years for an Instagram post supporting the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). The court interpreted his sharing of a fundraising post as financing terrorism.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Tatyana Valeryevna Laletina

Tatyana Laletina, a student, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for state treason after donating $30 to a Ukrainian fund. The charges stem from financial assistance to a foreign state against the security of the Russian Federation.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · AUG 20, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMGN

27 YRS

Ilyinsko-Podomskoye, Arkhangelsk Oblast

Social media

Ruslan Faridovich Gubkin

Ruslan Gubkin, a resident of Arkhangelsk Oblast, was sentenced to 3 years in a general regime penal colony for making public calls against state security online. Prior to the criminal case, he was twice administratively arrested.

LAST UPDATED · SEP 10, 2026

Anna Chagina

Anna Chagina, a musician and teacher from Tomsk, is facing trial for 'discrediting' the Russian Armed Forces through social media posts based on her Christian beliefs. She faces up to three years in prison.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · OCT 31, 2026

Anna Chagina

Anna Chagina was fined for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces based on her posts and comments on VKontakte. She was previously fined for participating in an anti-war demonstration. Her daughter developed pneumonia after being detained for questioning alongside her.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Leonid Rybakov

Leonid Rybakov, the director of an IT company, faced charges for incitement to extremism and discrediting the Russian army. He was initially sentenced to a suspended sentence, but it was overturned; ultimately, he was fined but released due to the statute of limitations.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Viktor Lavrentiev

Viktor Lavrentiev was fined 1 million rubles for spreading false information about the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine on social media. He allegedly relied on eyewitness accounts, including the destruction of a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Igor Vasilyevich Kuznetsov

Igor Kuznetsov, an activist, journalist, and videoblogger, was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime colony. He was convicted on charges including participation in an extremist community and inciting hatred, stemming from his involvement with the "Left Resistance".

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

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