Mark Davydov
Mark Davydov, born 1972, Krasnodar Krai. Charges: Article 205.1 part 1.1, Russian Criminal Code (Assisting or financing terrorist activities); Article 205.1 part 1.1 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code; Article 205.1 part 1.1 applied with Article 33 part 5, Russian Criminal Code; “Mark Davydov's case of financing and intent to join Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”. Sentence (September 20, 2022): 17 years' imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since September 1, 2019; place of detention: Penal colony No. 3, Ryazan Oblast. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, March 18, 2026.
In brief
Krasnodar Krai · Krasnodar · Terrorism cases
Sentence
17 years
imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony
First instance, April 6, 2021: 18 years
Charges
- Article 205.1 part 1.1, Russian Criminal Code — Assisting or financing terrorist activities
- Article 205.1 part 1.1 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
- Article 205.1 part 1.1 applied with Article 33 part 5, Russian Criminal Code
- Article 208 part 2 applied with Article 30 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Preparation for participation in an illegal armed group
Full wording of the charges
In the summer of 2018, Farrukh Faizimatov (Faruk Shami), who was in Syria at the time, asked Davydov to help him collect donations from citizens of Russia and CIS countriesvia QIWI wallets—according to the investigation, for “armed jihad” and the “propaganda of extremist Islamic ideas,” as well as to support the activities of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization as a whole. According to the investigation, Davydov purchased five SIM cards with Russian numbers registered to third parties and provided the numbers to Shami, who then independently registered QIWI wallets, as a result of which approximately 570,000 rubles were collected from unidentified individuals in 2018–2019. In addition, according to the investigation, in 2019, without the knowledge of his family, Davydov transferred 86,650 rubles to Shami “for the purchase of food, technical equipment, and means of communication (phones, batteries, etc.) by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.” According to the investigation, Davydov decided to personally join the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria in order to “participate in combat operations against government forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, with the aim of establishing Sharia law in that state and creating a ‘Caliphate.’” He planned to travel to Turkey and then illegally enter Syria, where he intended to transfer to Faizimatov the $1,300 in his possession, which, according to the prosecution, was intended for the needs of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and for financing “the propaganda website of this organization.”
Latest event
March 18, 2026 — recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, March 18, 2026
Timeline
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· Cassation ruling
sentence changed · 17 years
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 18 years
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution begins
Mark Davydov's case of financing and intent to join Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Criminal case
Mark Davydov's case of financing and intent to join Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
- Case number
- 2-14/2021
Write a letter
Facility: Penal colony No. 3, Ryazan Oblast
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
391846, Рязанская обл., Скопин г., Октябрьский микрорайон, ул. Заводская, д. 1, ФКУ «ИК № 3 УФСИН России по Рязанской области», Давыдов Марк Анатольевич, 1972 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Alushta. On October 11, 2019, he was detained at Krasnodar airport, from where he was going to fly to Istanbul. Davydov later recounted that a FSB officer beat him right at the airport and threatened him with further violence and the arrest of his relatives. Davydov was remanded in custody on charges of financing terrorism, preparation for financing terrorism and preparing to participate in the activities of a terrorist organization. According to the investigation, he helped Farrukh Faizimatov (Faruk Shami), a citizen of Tajikistan, to collect money for the needs of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham movement (in the judgment - Hayat Tahri al-Sham), which took part in the hostilities in Syria against the troops of the then government, and at the same time against Russian servicemen who helped them, transferred money to him for the same purposes and intended to go to Syria and join the movement there. Representatives of that movement have now seized power in Syria. Davydov initially confessed. At the trial, he retracted his confession, saying that he had done so out of fear of torture and threats. He said that he did not know about the movement's activities and only wanted to help the people of Syria. On April 7, 2021, Davydov was sentenced to 18 years in a strict regime colony. At the same time, the court reclassified the charge on one of the episodes of terrorism financing to aiding in financing, the charge of preparing to participate in the activities of a terrorist organization was reclassified to preparation for attempted participation, and the charge of preparing to finance terrorism was dropped. On October 6, 2021, the appellate court reclassified the charge from preparation for attempted participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation to preparation for participation in the activities of an illegal armed group. Davydov's sentence was reduced by two months. On September 21, 2022, the Court of Cassation reinstated the charge of preparing to finance terrorism and reduced the sentence to 17 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony.
Other people prosecuted under Article 205.1 part 1.1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.