Aleksei Bykov
Aleksei Bykov, born 1977, Saint Petersburg. Charges: Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)); “Aleksei Bykov's case on justifying terrorism”. Sentence (October 31, 2025): 5.5 years' imprisonment in a general regime colony. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since October 31, 2025.
In brief
Saint Petersburg · Saint Petersburg · Terrorism cases
Sentence
5 years 6 months
5.5 years' imprisonment in a general regime colony
Upheld February 2, 2026
Charges
- Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)
Full wording of the charges
According to the investigation, from 20 January to 7 June 2024, he posted comments in the chat room "Russia will be free", which had less than 100 members, in 6 of which linguistic expertise found signs of justification of terrorism, as well as calls to join the terrorist organisation - RDK. Of the 6 publications, 3 were reposts from the channel of the Russian Volunteer Corps. The comments spoke about the successful operation of the unit in the Bryansk region, about Patriarch Filaret, who gave an official reception to its participants, as well as about the last battle of two fighters of the corps under the call signs "Wolf" and "Evzh". In his comments, Bykov urged all Navalny supporters to join the ranks of the RDK.
Latest event
February 2, 2026 — appeal
The court upheld the verdict.
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· Imprisonment begins
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 5 years 6 months
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution begins
Aleksei Bykov's case on justifying terrorism
· Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)
Criminal case
Aleksei Bykov's case on justifying terrorism
- Case number
- 2-86/2025
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Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of St Petersburg. In February 2025, law enforcement officers conducted a search of his home in connection with a criminal case on the justification of terrorism, related to six comments posted in the chat “Russia Will Be Free”, in which he expressed support for the RDK and called on others to join the unit. According to those close to him, during the search, security officers severely beat Bykov and threatened that they would “hand him over” to participants in the war.
Bykov himself stated that he gave self-incriminating testimony under pressure from the security services.
Bykov believes that the criminal case against him was initiated following a denunciation by the administrators of the Telegram chat “Vostok-Zapad”, with whom he had a conflict arising from discussions about the war in Ukraine. According to Bykov, they threatened him with criminal prosecution and said that they had already filed a report, although at the time he did not attach any significance to this. He also stated that after the conflict, an unknown user wrote to him in private messages and offered that he photograph and send images of buildings and vehicles, assuring him that nothing would happen to him for doing so. Bykov refused.
On 31 October 2025, the court sentenced him to five and a half years’ imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.