October 20, 2026, 11:19 AMRSSRU

Pavel Vazhenin

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Pavel Vazhenin, born 1979, Moscow. Charges: Article 213 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Hooliganism (group, with weapons, or against a government official)); Article 318 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Use of non-dangerous violence against a government official); “The case of Pavel Vazhenin”. Sentence (April 2, 2015): 03.04.2015 The Presidium of the Moscow City Court (cassation instance) reduced Vazhenin's sentence by one year (not 3… Status: at large. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, April 12, 2015; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, February 12, 2014.

In brief

Moscow · Moscow · Entrepreneurs

Sentence

2 years

03.04.2015 The Presidium of the Moscow City Court (cassation instance) reduced Vazhenin's sentence by one year (not 3, but 2 years of general regime colony)

Sentence changed April 2, 2015

First instance, June 29, 2014: 3 years

Charges

Full wording of the charges

committed hooliganism with the use of weapons - threw snow clods at riot police officers; hit riot police officers with his hands and feet during a fight, participated in throwing a metal structure that served as a fence for an artificial Christmas tree installed in the square in the direction of riot police officers, causing pain to riot police officer Antonov.

Latest event

April 12, 2015 — recognised as a political prisoner

Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

  2. · Imprisonment ends

  3. · Cassation ruling

    sentence changed · 2 years

  4. · Persecution ends

  5. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 3 years

  6. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

Criminal case

The case of Pavel Vazhenin

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

Thematic group: Manezhnaya case

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

Pavel Vazhenin was one of the participants in the events on Manezhnaya Square on 11 December 2010, when, following the murder of football fan Yegor Sviridov, citizens clashed with riot police and attacked people of non-Slavic appearance who were passing by. He worked as a social psychologist. The ruling to bring him as a defendant in the case of the clashes at Manezhnaya Square was issued on 20 January 2012, on 24 January the case against Vazhenin and unidentified persons was separated into separate proceedings. Vazhenin was charged with calls for mass riots, hooliganism committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, incitement to hatred or enmity, use of violence against a representative of the authorities. Later, during the court hearings, the charges of calling for mass disorder and incitement to hatred or hostility were dropped due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. On 12 April 2013, Vazhenin was detained and sent to arrest a day later. According to the investigation, Vazhenin, together with other participants in the events, hit the riot police officers with his hands and feet during the fight and threw a metal structure, which served as a fence for an artificial Christmas tree, in their direction. According to the prosecution, Vazhenin used lumps of snow as a weapon. Vazhenin partially pleaded guilty to using violence against a representative of the authorities.During the arguments, prosecutors asked Vazhenin to be sentenced to four years in a penal colony. The Tverskoy court sentenced him to three years in a general regime colony. The Moscow City Court upheld the decision. On 11 April 2015, he was released from prison.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Sources (2)

Other people prosecuted under Article 213 part 2, Russian Criminal Code

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