Semiel Vedel
Semiel Vedel, born 1984, Moscow. Charges: Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code (Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government…); “Sergei Klokov’s case of “fakes” about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces in the territory of Ukraine”. Sentence (April 24, 2023): 7 years’ imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service in the system of internal… Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since March 16, 2022; place of detention: Pre-trial detention centre No. 1, Kirov Oblast. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, May 16, 2022.
In brief
Moscow · Moscow · Law enforcement officers · Anti-war cases
Sentence
7 years
imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service in the system of internal affairs of the Russian Federation related to the exercise of the functions of a representative of authority for a period of 4 years, with the main sentence of imprisonment be served in a general regime penal colony.nnIn accordance with Article 48 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, S.V. Vedel (S.V. Klokov) was deprived of the special rank of “captain of the internal service”.
Upheld June 4, 2026
Charges
- Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code — Dissemination of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, government agencies, or mercenaries (based on political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or on grounds of hatred or enmity in relation to any social group)
Full wording of the charges
Initially, the investigation claimed that Vedel, having a disdainful, unfriendly, hostile and aggressive attitude towards the Russian people and the Russian Federation as a whole, acting by prior conspiracy together with unidentified persons, on 9 March 2022, being at an unspecified place on the territory of the city of Moscow, by making telephone calls from his subscriber numbers … to unidentified persons residing in the Republic of Crimea and the Moscow region, publicly disseminated, under the guise of reliable messages, knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, as well as maintain peace and security. The charge for criminal actions committed as part of a group of persons and by misusing his official position was later dropped. After the case was returned to the prosecutor’s office, Vedel was charged with organising the dissemination of deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces.
Latest event
June 4, 2026 — appeal
The court upheld the verdict.
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, May 16, 2022
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· Imprisonment begins
Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for Kirov Oblast
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 7 years
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Persecution begins
Sergei Klokov’s case of “fakes” about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces in the territory of Ukraine
· Preventive measure: placement in a temporary detention facility
Criminal case
Sergei Klokov’s case of “fakes” about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces in the territory of Ukraine
- Case number
- 01-0611/2025
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Write a letter
Facility: Pre-trial detention centre No. 1, Kirov Oblast
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
610004, Кировская область, г. Киров, ул. Мопра, д.1.,, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Кировской области, Ведель Семиэль Вальтерович, 1984 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
He is a technician of the reserve control centre of the Interior Ministry’s headquarters in the capital. He was detained on the night between 16 and 17 March. After a search, Klokov had a bag put over his head and was taken to the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee, where his detention was formalised. The report states that Klokov resisted, so force and special means were used against him. On 18 March, he was taken into custody. Law enforcement officers informed his lawyer Daniil Berman that Klokov refused his services, but later he eventually concluded an agreement with the lawyer. On 10 August, the court returned the case to the prosecutor’s office, but later the case was referred back to the court.
As late as June it turned out that the wiretapping of Klokov’s telephone conversations, which became the reason for initiating the case, was sanctioned on 28 January 2022 by Denis Ignatiev, a judge of the Moscow Regional Court. It was allegedly related to a murder of policemen almost 20 years prior and to the fact that Klokov’s father worked together with their alleged killer Vladislav Stepanov. The investigation considered the phone conversations public, as there were several of them. On 10 August, the court returned the case to the prosecutor’s office, but the case was later referred back to the court. On 24 April 2023, Klokov was sentenced to seven years in a general regime colony. In August 2023, the court of appeals affirmed the sentence. On 29 May 2024, the court of cassation reversed the ruling of the court of appeals and sent the case back for a new trial. On 23 July 2024, the court of appeals overturned the verdict and returned the case to the prosecutor’s office.
On 21 May 2025, the Perovsky District Court of Moscow began to re-examine the case. On 4 December, Klokov was sentenced again to seven years in a general regime colony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 207.3 part 2 item d, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.