Political scientist Alexander Kynev remanded in custody on drug charges
A Moscow court sent the elections expert, already labelled a “foreign agent”, to pre-trial detention on a large-scale drug dealing charge carrying up to 20 years. He denies it.
News
Key news on repression, political prisoners and human rights groups. Every item links to the original source. Updated every morning.
updated September 25 · RSSSeptember 25
St Petersburg lawyer Nurdi Shamaev jailed over a four-year-old comment
A district court remanded the lawyer in custody on charges of “justifying terrorism” over a social media post.
“Khodorkovsky LIVE” designated a “foreign agent”
The Justice Ministry added the news YouTube channel, which has more than 3 million subscribers, to its register of “foreign agents”.
YouTuber “Ded Arkhimed” arrested in absentia over “fakes” and foreign-agent rules
A court in Ivanovo ordered the arrest in absentia of the 53-year-old blogger on charges of spreading army “fakes” and evading “foreign agent” obligations.
Four residents of occupied Melitopol sentenced to 17 to 28 years
The Southern District Military Court convicted them of plotting attacks on Russian-installed officials.
Two Tula men, detained as teenagers, jailed for 6 and 7 years over railway arson
The Tula regional court sentenced them for setting fire to a trackside equipment cabinet.
Border officers extract phone data via Bluetooth
Equipment used at Russian border checks can pull call history and contact lists from travellers’ phones over Bluetooth.
September 24
Jailed lawyer Roman Melnichenko is losing his sight
The imprisoned lawyer and former Volgograd university lecturer has suffered a sharp decline in vision, and doctors refuse to treat him, OVD-Info reports.
Jailed Crimean Tatar with liver cancer in critical condition
Human rights defenders say the 58-year-old political prisoner is in a critical state in a prison hospital in the Arkhangelsk region.
US court grants bail to Russian asylum seeker
Artyom Kosolapov had been held in immigration detention in Arkansas since late August. Bail was set at $15,000; he still faces possible deportation.
Yekaterinburg pensioner given 240 hours’ community service for donations to a Ukrainian church
Nadezhda Esina, 67, was convicted over donations to the “Vozrozhdenie” church.
Two teenagers from Angarsk get almost 9 and 10 years for trying to set fire to military vehicles
A military court convicted a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old on terrorism and treason charges for throwing Molotov cocktails at a military unit; the vehicles were not damaged.
Two St Petersburg residents sentenced to 13 years for treason
The St Petersburg City Court gave Oksana Ronzhes and Artyom Sakharov 13 years each: they were accused of filming power lines and the area near a military airfield on the orders of Ukraine's GUR.
Former CEO of the Domovyonok service Nikita Zhilin put on wanted list over donations to FBK
The Interior Ministry is seeking Zhilin, who lives abroad, in a case of financing FBK. By Mediazona's count, 167 sentences have already been handed down in such cases.
7x7 journalist Marina Skorikova put on federal wanted list
A case for calls to act against state security has been opened against the journalist, who was designated a "foreign agent" in spring 2026.
Daughter of Novosibirsk man says FSB officers tortured her father
According to Tonya Egorova, her father was detained on 15 September and tortured to make him confess to setting fire to a cell tower.
Defendants in Rostov car arson case tell court of beatings and questioning without a lawyer
Defendants in the case of a burnt car belonging to an officer's wife told the court they were beaten during arrest and questioned without a defence lawyer.
Rosfinmonitoring list includes 518 teenagers, the youngest aged 14
Since June the number of minors on the list of "terrorists and extremists" has grown by 53. The youngest person on it was born in 2012.
FBK staffer Yulia Emelyanova faces extradition as Kazakhstan denies her asylum
Kazakhstan has finally refused asylum to the Navalny team member, and she may now be handed over to Russia.
Finland grants asylum to anti-war Russians the Belovs, who faced deportation
Olga and Nikita Belov, whom the authorities wanted to deport to Russia in the spring, have been granted asylum in Finland.
September 23
Tyumen man sentenced to 8 years for Telegram Stars worth 293 roubles
A military court convicted 57-year-old Mikhail Antonovich of "financing terrorism": he left paid reactions in the channels of Naki, Nevzorov and Shpak.
Komsomolsk-on-Amur man sentenced to 15 years for lift graffiti and comments about the Legion
A military court gave him 15 years in a strict-regime colony for graffiti in a lift and comments supporting the Freedom of Russia Legion, under treason and justifying-terrorism charges.
Yury Dud added to Rosfinmonitoring's list of "terrorists and extremists"
The journalist has been added to the list, so his bank transactions in Russia will be blocked.
TV Rain host Mikhail Fishman goes on trial in absentia for involvement in an "undesirable organisation"
Moscow's Simonovsky court is hearing the case under Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code. The defence says Fishman is being prosecuted for his journalism.
Prosecutor General's Office declares a German foundation, Crimea's Almenda centre and "Friends of Falun Gong" "undesirable"
The list now includes a German foundation supporting ethnic Germans, the Ukrainian civic education centre Almenda and a British organisation.
New case over calls to terrorism opened against blogger Alexander Shpak
The case is based on a 2024 video. Shpak, previously sentenced in absentia to 8 years over "fakes", will be charged in absentia.
September 22
Memorial asks Durov to make paid Telegram reactions anonymous
The Memorial Political Prisoners Support project says the public list of Stars senders is a vulnerability that security forces use to open terrorism financing cases.
Barents Observer journalist Denis Zagore charged and put on wanted list
The Murmansk "foreign agent" journalist is accused of breaking the "foreign agent" rules and taking part in an "undesirable" organisation.
Muscovite detained at a polling station says he was tortured with a stun gun
Alexander Pavlov says that after he tried to photograph the election commission's notice board, police beat him and shocked him more than 20 times.
Political prisoner and saxophonist Andrei Shabanov asks to be included in a prisoner swap
The musician, who has a disability and was convicted over posts criticising the Kremlin, described pressure in the penal colony and asked to be put on the exchange lists.
September 18
Justice Ministry designates film director Andrei Zvyagintsev a "foreign agent"
The ministry said the director had worked with "foreign agents" and "undesirable" organisations. Several other people were added to the list at the same time.
Interior Ministry puts Meduza journalist Vladislav Gorin on wanted list
The journalist, whose outlet is designated "undesirable", has been added to the wanted database.
Rybinsk artist sentenced to eight years for money transfers to Vyacheslav Maltsev
The court ruled that the transfers to the blogger amounted to financing extremism.
September 17
Zhanna Nemtsova put on international wanted list
The journalist and daughter of Boris Nemtsov has been put on the international wanted list in a criminal case.