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Leonid Nikolaev

DeceasedChecked against the source: September 5, 2026, 6:09 AM
Criminal Code
Article 213 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Region
Saint Petersburg
City
Saint Petersburg
Facility
ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Санкт-Петербургу и Ленинградской области "Кресты"
Address for letters
196655, Ленинградская область, г. Колпино, Колпинская ул., д. 9, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Санкт-Петербургу и Ленинградской области "Кресты", Николаев Леонид Львович, 1983 г.р.

Case summary

On the morning of November 15, 2010, a rented flat in Moscow, where the group members resided, was subjected to a search conducted by operatives from the Centre for Combating Extremism who had arrived from St. Petersburg. The individuals present in the flat were taken to the Begovoy police department, while Oleg Vorotnikov and Leonid Nikolaev were transported to St. Petersburg. During the transport, bags were placed over their heads, and they were subjected to disproportionate by police officers, resulting in visible signs of beatings. On November 16, the detainees were transferred to a pre-trial detention center in St. Petersburg. On November 17, during a hearing for preventive measures, a decision was made to detain them for two months. The charges were based on their involvement in the "Coup d'état" protest action at the Mikhailovsky Castle, during which several police cars were overturned.

On November 24, 2010, Vorotnikov and Nikolaev were initially charged under paragraph "b" of Part 1 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which pertains to 'Hooliganism, i.e., gross violation of public order, expressing obvious disrespect for society, committed on the grounds of political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred or enmity, or on the grounds of hatred or enmity towards a social group.' Subsequently, on December 21, the charges were reclassified to paragraph "b" of Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which relates to hooliganism committed by a group of individuals.

On February 22, the Dzerzhinsky District Court decided to release Nikolaev on bail of 300,000 rubles. The required bail was paid on February 24, and the artist was released from pre-trial detention. On October 11, 2011, the case against Vorotnikov and Nikolaev was closed. However, in November, it was reopened at the request of the prosecutor's office. Nikolaev remained in hiding from law enforcement agencies for several years.

On September 22, 2015, he tragically passed away after a tree-cutting accident.

Others charged under Article 213 part 1, Russian Criminal Code

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Source: this person’s record in the OVD-Info political persecution database

Published under CC BY 3.0. The criteria for treating a person as politically persecuted belong to OVD-Info; FACTUM relays their assessment and makes none of its own.

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