Andrei Biryukov

Andrei is registered with a psychiatrist. Before his arrest, his relatives began the process of registering him as disabled. Biryukov’s mother and her parents also have disabilities, and without Andrei’s help, they struggle to manage the household.

Andrei was detained on 28 July 2022 following a search of his home. The court later remanded him in custody. According to his mother, the true reason for the prosecution was likely his posts about the war in Ukraine. Andrei previously ran a website covering events in the country. His lawyer explained that the investigator initially refused to allow face-to-face meetings with relatives or phone calls to Andrei, only permitting contact after he confessed and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Ultimately, Andrei admitted guilt and agreed to assist the authorities.

On 9 November 2022, he was sentenced to three and a half years in a general-regime penal colony, along with a two-year ban on managing websites.

Following his speech at the trial during the appeal, a new case was opened against him for public justification of terrorism and incitement to hatred. On 18 April 2024, he was sentenced to four years for this offence. When combined with his previous sentence, Andrei’s total term amounts to six years.