Documented cases

11 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

Eduard Charov

Preacher Eduard Charov was fined 500,000 rubles for reposting Yevgeny Prigozhin's video and commenting on a military office arson. He was also banned from using social media for four years.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · NOV 9, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMUW

AGE UNKNOWN

Sverdlovsk region, Russia

Pavel Paderin

Pavel Paderin was sentenced to 3 years in a general regime colony for allegedly communicating with Ukrainian intelligence services. He had previously faced legal issues regarding his refusal to serve in the military due to health reasons.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 9, 2026

Valeriya Marchenko

Valeriya Marchenko, a machinist, had her sentence increased to 20 years for an alleged attempt to burn down a military enlistment office using Molotov cocktails. She claims she was deceived by someone posing as a member of the Ukrainian 'I Want to Live' project.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 15, 2026

Evgeny Pinchuk

Hieromonk Evgeny Pinchuk (Nikandr) was sent to a pre-trial detention center for calling the founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) "handsome" in a Telegram channel. He was previously fined for discrediting the Russian army.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Detained

RU-CMI8

45 YRS

Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk region

Social media

Kitkov Andrey Aleksandrovich

Andrey Kitkov, an entrepreneur from the Sverdlovsk region, was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in a general regime colony for publicly justifying terrorism. He posted a comment about the Crimean Bridge explosion.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Sverdlovsk Region, Russia

Religious

Eduard Charov

Christian preacher Eduard Charov is awaiting criminal trial on charges of 'discrediting' the Russian armed forces and 'public calls to commit terrorist activities' following social media posts. He is currently under restrictions including being banned from leaving his district.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 30, 2026

Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk region

Treason or espionage

Evgeniy Alekseevich Varaksin

Evgeniy Varaksin was sentenced to 12 years in prison for high treason for allegedly donating 100 Polish zlotys to a Ukrainian organization. The prosecution claimed the money was used to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is considered an act against the security of the Russian Federation.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 20, 2026

Nikandr Pinchuk

Fr Nikandr Pinchuk, a member of the ROCOR, was fined in October 2022 for a social media post describing Russian troops as the 'horde of the Antichrist'.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 28, 2026

Nikandr Pinchuk

Nikandr Pinchuk, a ROCOR priest, became the first person criminally convicted for opposing the war on religious grounds. He was fined 100,000 Roubles for a social media post that referred to the attackers as a 'horde of the Antichrist'.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · OCT 27, 2026

Convicted

RU-CMO4

AGE UNKNOWN

Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region

Protest

Ivan Lyubimov

Artist Ivan Lyubimov was detained in Yekaterinburg for displaying an anti-war poster quoting John Donne and UN figures for civilian casualties in Ukraine. He awaits charges and has been previously fined for similar protests.

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Detained

RU-CMO4

AGE UNKNOWN

Sverdlovsk Region, Sverdlovsk Region

Religious

Nikandr Pinchuk

Fr Nikandr Pinchuk, a Russian Orthodox priest, faces a criminal case for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine on religious grounds. He is under investigation under Criminal Code Article 280.3 for a repeat offense of "discrediting" the Armed Forces and remains a suspect but has not been arrested.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

LAST UPDATED · AUG 16, 2026

Detained

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