Arseny Turbin, Russia's youngest political prisoner, turned 18 on August 19. His mother Irina visited him in a pre-trial detention center (SIZO) and said her son looks depressed. According to her, letters and newspapers are not being delivered to the teenager, he is constantly being nitpicked, and old surgical stitches have become inflamed and painful.
In 2024, when Turbin was 15, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced him to five years in a penal colony on charges of participating in the activities of the organization "Legion 'Freedom of Russia'," which is recognized as terrorist. The teenager pleaded not guilty. The trial was held behind closed doors. His defense is now preparing an appeal to the Supreme Court and demanding a review of the case.
The criminal case was triggered by an email Arseny sent to the legion, in which he wrote that he was "ready to put up leaflets and fight against Putin's propaganda," the distribution of leaflets criticizing Vladimir Putin, reposts of opposition materials, and participation in a solo picket in support of Alexei Navalny. The investigation claimed that the teenager joined the organization with the aim of "committing sabotage on military and railway facilities," which Turbin himself denied.
In early 2026, a new case was opened against Turbin on charges of participating in "mass riots" in the colony. According to relatives, the investigator had previously tried to link the teenager to the "AUE ideology" (a criminal movement banned in Russia). While in custody, Turbin spoke of beatings and lost 17 kilograms.
To mark Turbin's 18th birthday, Mediazona and the studio Animators Against War released a three-minute animated film about the teenager who became a political prisoner at 15.
Turbin's mother asked the SIZO administration to stop pressuring the teenager. "Every year I wish him the same thing and confess my endless love, but for the third year now I add the most important thing to these words: 'Freedom'," Irina Turbina said.