Konstantin Podoshvelev
- Criminal Code
- Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal CodeArticle 214 part 2, Russian Criminal CodeArticle 243 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
- Case category
- Anti-war casesTerrorism cases
- Verdict
- Imprisonment (strict regime), Fine
- Sentence
- 14 years
- Date of verdict
- 2025-06-10
- Region
- Saint Petersburg
- City
- Saint Petersburg
- Address for letters
- 196655, Ленинградская область, г. Колпино, Колпинская ул., д. 9, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Санкт-Петербургу и Ленинградской области "Кресты", Подошвелев Константин Михайлович, 1967 г.р.
Recognition by human rights organisations
- Recognised as a political prisonerby Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, 5 June 2025
This is the assessment of the organisation named above, not ours. FACTUM reports it with attribution and does not make its own.
Case summary
A resident of St Petersburg and formerly an employee of the Interior Ministry in Khabarovsk Krai, Podoshvelev was detained on 14 February 2024 on suspicion of painting anti-war slogans. According to the St Petersburg police, he had “been in contact with handlers from Ukraine for some time and was preparing to join a terrorist organisation”. On 19 February 2024, he was remanded in custody. His pre-trial measure was changed to house arrest on 13 March.
In June 2024, it became known that Podoshvelev had also been charged with attempted participation in a terrorist community: investigators alleged that he had planned to join the “Legion of Freedom of Russia”. He was again taken into custody. The case was subsequently brought to court on charges of participation in a terrorist organisation, rather than attempted participation in a terrorist community.
In June 2025, the court sentenced Podoshvelev to fourteen years’ imprisonment, the first three years to be served in prison and the remainder in a high-security penal colony. He was also fined 250,000 roubles.
Others charged under Article 205.5 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
What we write about political persecution
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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.
OVD-Info has been designated an «extremist» organisation in Russia — by decision of the Russian authorities, like other independent human rights and media projects.