October 20, 2026, 8:55 AMRSSRU

Alexander Federyakov

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Alexander Federyakov, born 1984, Moscow. Charges: Article 318 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Use of non-dangerous violence against a government official); “Alexander Federyakov's case of violence against riot police at the 23 January rally in Moscow”. Sentence (August 9, 2021): 1 year 6 months' deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony. Status: at large. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, August 1, 2021.

In brief

Moscow · Moscow · IT specialists · Cases related to mass actions

Sentence

1 year 6 months

deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony

Verdict August 9, 2021

Upheld December 9, 2021

Charges

Full wording of the charges

According to the investigation, at the action on 23 January he used "violence not dangerous to life and health" against a police officer (sniper) of the 3rd squad of the 1st platoon of the 1st company of the 1st operational battalion of OMON Vybornov V.S., spraying unspecified contents from an aerosol can in the area of the face, causing him "physical pain and moral suffering" by his actions.

Latest event

May 25, 2022 — imprisonment ends

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Imprisonment ends

  2. · Persecution ends

  3. · Preventive measure: pre-trial detention

    Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for the Tambov Oblast

  4. · Appeal ruling

    upheld

  5. · First-instance verdict

    1 year 6 months

  6. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

Criminal case

Alexander Federyakov's case of violence against riot police at the 23 January rally in Moscow

Case number
01-0683/2021

There are no other defendants in this case in the database.

Thematic group: Palace case

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

Head of the development department in a Russian IT company. At the time of the persecution, he was an honorary donor of Moscow, had been donating blood for more than 5 years, had been engaged in dancing for 15 years: hustle, kizomba, social tango, contact improvisation.

On 31 March 2021, detained on charges of using violence against a representative of the authorities at a rally in support of Alexei Navalny on 23 January. The next day taken into custody by court order. Federyakov was accused of spraying a gas canister in the direction of a riot police officer. His wife claims that he did not do it.

At least two OMON officers were known to have been injured: 25-year-old Vladislav Vybornov and 27-year-old Anton Chizhov. According to Mediazona, doctors diagnosed Vybornov with "chemical burns to the eyes, left and right" from pepper spray, while his colleague Chizhov was diagnosed with "chemical burns to the face, right and left eyes".

The results of any other expert examinations in the case have not yet been presented to the defence, said lawyer Borkov in an interview to "Mediazona": "The case materials in full have not been shown to us. The only thing they point to is the similarity of Alexander's dark jacket from the back - with the back and dark jacket of the person standing next to the policeman."

There was no confrontation with the injured OMON officer either. During the interrogation he said that he had not seen the attacker and would not be able to identify him.

- I consider myself innocent, -Alexander insisted. - The investigation did not provide any evidence of my guilt. My position is unambiguous: I am not guilty, it is important for me to prove my case. Maybe this will be just the case when a person was able to get the truth under our justice system?

On 9 August he was sentenced to one and a half years in a general regime colony. On 25 May 2022 he was released.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Sources (1)

Other people prosecuted under Article 318 part 1, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 286 under this article →