Critical Cases

Piruz Peikrishvili, a driver from Komsomolsk-on-Amur who considers himself a citizen of the USSR, was sentenced to six and a half years in a general regime penal colony for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and spreading "fakes." The sentence included a ban on engaging in activities related to the distribution of information on the Internet.

Yuri Izmailov, a former military and activist from Novosibirsk, has been charged with treason for allegedly corresponding with a Ukrainian military contact. He was initially detained in August 2024 for intending to join the Russian Volunteer Corps and has been subjected to violence during his arrest and interrogation.

Yulia Belosliudtseva was initially fined for discrediting the army and displaying prohibited symbols on social media. She was later sentenced to two and a half years' suspended sentence, which was then replaced with a sentence in a penal colony, although she was not present at the appeal hearing.

60-year-old Alexander Titov from the Leningrad region was detained and placed in pre-trial detention (SIZO) for justifying terrorism due to comments in a chat related to the Ukrainian Azov regiment. He missed a court hearing due to an asthma attack and has been denied essential medication and medical care in detention, despite having bronchial asthma and showing signs of encephalopathy.

Leonid Kats, a 22-year-old graduate of the Higher School of Economics, was arrested on charges of treason for donating to a foundation that helps Ukrainian children. He was reportedly tortured with electric shocks after his detention and subjected to repeated administrative arrests.

Mikhail Loshchinin, a 48-year-old with Russian and Belgian citizenship, was arrested at the Latvian-Russian border and charged with state treason for allegedly financing the enemy through a past monetary request from a former girlfriend with Ukrainian symbols. He was reportedly tortured in a specialized facility for Ukrainian prisoners, suffering from vision problems and retinal detachment.

Valery Kotovich, a colonel in the National Guard, was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime colony for spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces. The case was based on testimonies from his colleagues who reported his negative comments about the war in Ukraine.

Stephen James Hubbard, a US citizen and English teacher, was captured by Russian forces in Izium in April 2022. He is accused of being a mercenary.

Elena Karaniku was searched in Khabarovsk on January 4, 2025, and accused of confidential cooperation with a foreign state. The charges are reportedly based on Telegram correspondence with a representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Daniil Klyuka, a drawing teacher from Lipetsk, was charged on February 10, 2023, with "facilitating terrorist activities." According to investigators, he exchanged 20,000 rubles for cryptocurrency and transferred it to the "Azov" e-wallet.

Alexander Tsilyk, a Ukrainian entrepreneur, was detained in October 2021 while crossing the border into Russia. He was detained with the Koval family who have since disappeared.

Semyon Koshevoy, a student from the Tver region, was detained in Belgorod in March 2023. He was initially arrested twice for petty hooliganism before facing charges for treason.

Evgeny Gorin, a Ukrainian citizen and senior soldier of the 73rd Maritime Center of the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was captured in the Kherson region on the night of February 29, 2024. He is accused of sabotage, illegal border crossing, smuggling, and illegal transportation of explosives and weapons.

Ivan Zabavsky, a Ukrainian citizen, disappeared in the occupied Kharkov region in September 2022. He traveled to his native village to evacuate his mother but went missing.

Ilya Barshchivets was detained in Armyansk, annexed Crimea, on April 4, 2025. He is accused of treason for allegedly communicating with a representative of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Nikolai Tesla, a Ukrainian citizen and junior sergeant in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was captured during fighting in the Kursk region in November 2024. He is charged with committing a terrorist act as part of a group, resulting in significant damage.

Evgeny Bondarenko, a Ukrainian native, was arrested in the Tula region no later than November 2023 and charged with high treason. The details of the charges are unknown, but he was found guilty on March 27, 2024.

Vladimir Efimov, a journalist and politician, was sentenced to two years in a penal colony for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and repeated propaganda of Nazi symbols. The case stemmed from a Facebook post comparing a singer to a Nazi character, which authorities deemed as displaying Nazi symbols.

Aleksandr Nozdrinov, a blogger, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces. He was allegedly beaten by police during his arrest, and his case highlights the restrictions on freedom of expression in Russia.

Veronika Netunaeva, a legal consultant, was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime penal colony for aiding in the preparation of a terrorist act. She was accused of providing information about the Uglich hydroelectric power station to a person claiming to be a Ukrainian soldier.

Roman Nedostupa, a sniper, is accused of attempting to violently seize power, participating in a terrorist organization, and undergoing training for terrorist activities. He is currently in detention.

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.

Irina Navalnaya, a Ukrainian citizen from Mariupol, was sentenced to 8 years in a general regime colony for allegedly attempting a terrorist act. She was accused of planning to disrupt a referendum by planting explosives at a local administration building.

Aleksandr Mukhin, a Ukrainian citizen and former soldier in the Azov Regiment, was sentenced to 22 years in a strict regime colony. He was convicted on charges including attempting to overthrow the Russian government and participating in terrorist activities.

Zarema Musaeva, wife of a retired federal judge, was forcibly taken from Nizhny Novgorod to Chechnya and sentenced to 5.5 years, later reduced to 4 years and 9 months, in a colony settlement. She was convicted of violence against a government official and fraud, with a new charge of disorganizing the activities of institutions ensuring isolation from society added later.

Denis Narolsky, a Ukrainian resident of Crimea, was sentenced to 9 years in a strict regime colony for desertion during mobilization. He also faces charges of high treason for allegedly contacting Ukrainian authorities.

Evgeny Mishchenko, a volunteer at the Nemtsov Bridge memorial, was sentenced to 12 years for participating in a terrorist organization. The charges stem from allegedly communicating with the "Freedom of Russia" Legion and offering his land for military purposes.

Sergey Mikhailov, founder of the opposition newspaper "Listok," was sentenced to 8 years for disseminating false information about the Russian army's actions in Ukraine. He is accused of publishing information about the destruction of a maternity hospital and drama theater in Mariupol, and the killing of civilians in Bucha.

Azat Miftakhov, an anarchist and graduate student, was sentenced to 6 years for hooliganism in 2021, then immediately rearrested upon release. He was subsequently sentenced to 4 years for publicly justifying terrorism, stemming from a social media post.

Sergey Mironov was sentenced to 9 years in prison for preparing to commit high treason by defecting to the enemy. He was allegedly planning to travel to Ukraine to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fight against Russia.