Sergei Kovtoniuk
Sergei Kovtoniuk, born 1989, Murmansk Oblast. Charges: Article 205.2 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Public incitement to terrorism or justification of terrorism (using media or the internet)); “Sergei Kovtoniuk's case concerning a song of "extremist nature"”. Sentence (August 7, 2024): 3 years' imprisonment in a general regime colony, ban on administering websites for 2 years. Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since March 1, 2024; place of detention: Penal colony No. 5, Kirov Oblast. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, June 4, 2025.
In brief
Murmansk Oblast · Murmansk · Manual workers · Anti-war cases, Terrorism cases
Sentence
3 years
imprisonment in a general regime colony, ban on administering websites for 2 years.
No information about an appeal ruling.
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, on 22 October 2022, he posted a song of an "extremist nature" on his page in the VKontakte social network.
Latest event
June 4, 2025 — recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, June 4, 2025
Timeline
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 3 years
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution begins
Sergei Kovtoniuk's case concerning a song of "extremist nature"
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Criminal case
Sergei Kovtoniuk's case concerning a song of "extremist nature"
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Write a letter
Facility: Penal colony No. 5, Kirov Oblast
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
613040, Кировская область, г. Кирово-Чепецк, ул. Овражная, 16, ФКУ «ИК № 5 УФСИН России по Кировской области», Ковтонюк Сергей Николаевич, 1989 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Murmansk. In March 2024, he was taken into custody on charges of publicly justifying terrorism over a song he had posted on his VKontakte page in October 2022. According to him, at that time, as a result of conversations with relatives living in Ukraine, “he had formed a false view of what was happening, of reality”, but since then his opinion had changed. On 7 August 2024, Kovtonyuk was sentenced to three years 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.