Documented cases

10 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

Sergei Erzhenkov

Sergei Erzhenkov, a journalist, was convicted of vandalism for filming an anti-Putin inscription on a Lenin monument. He was sentenced to restriction of freedom and claims he was beaten during detention.

TORTURE REPORTED

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMI8

40 YRS

Kasimov, Ryazan Oblast

Activism

Sergey Skoreyev

Sergey Skoreyev was convicted of vandalism for painting an anti-Putin message on a Lenin monument. He was sentenced to restriction of freedom.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Roman Smolyakov

Roman Smolyakov was sentenced to involuntary treatment for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. The case stemmed from a comment he made on VKontakte criticizing the war and its impact on a local family.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Mehriban Vagif kyzy Lukinskaya

Mehriban Lukinskaya, a former factory worker and entrepreneur, was sentenced to 5 years in a general regime colony for confidential cooperation with a representative of a foreign state. She allegedly contacted Ukrainian intelligence and attempted to obtain intelligence information.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 20, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMGO

AGE UNKNOWN

Ryazan, Ryazan Oblast

Social media

Sergei Ryumin

Sergei Ryumin was charged with spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces. A verdict was passed on October 28, 2024, though the specific details of the sentence remain unknown.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 1, 2026

Mikhail Velkin

Mikhail Velkin was sentenced to 17 years in prison for collaborating with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). He was accused of passing information about industrial and military sites in the Ryazan region to the group.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 15, 2026

Alexander Moiseyuk

Alexander Moiseyuk, a journalist and former chief editor of YA62.ru, was detained and placed in pre-trial detention for allegedly financing an organization (FBK). The charges stem from a donation of 300 rubles made in August 2021.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Gordey Nikitin

Gordey Nikitin was sentenced to 17 years in a strict regime colony for high treason. The case originated from anti-war Telegram comments from 2022 and a subsequent interaction with an FSB agent posing as Ukrainian intelligence.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 9, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMS1

24 YRS

Ryazan, Ryazan Oblast

Artem Zhalyuk

Artem Zhalyuk, a 24-year-old student, was sentenced to 15 years in a strict regime colony for high treason and justifying terrorism. He allegedly communicated with the Ukrainian GUR and provided information about his former military unit and local industrial facilities.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 4, 2026

Yaroslav Muratov

Yaroslav Muratov was sentenced to 18 years in prison for allegedly preparing to burn down a military enlistment office and collaborating with Ukrainian intelligence. He was also accused of manufacturing incendiary devices.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 10, 2026

Convicted

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