FACTUM stories
35 stories
FACTUM's own reporting on people persecuted on political grounds and on the cases against them: verdicts, timelines, context. Newest first.
November 2, 2026
Leonid Melekhin: Denied Asylum, Sentenced in Russia
A Russian opposition activist sought asylum at a U.S. port of entry. After ten months in immigration detention and a rejected claim, he was returned to Russia, arrested and sentenced to six years in prison.
October 30, 2026
Kynev Moved to New Cell After Refusing Food
Russian political analyst Alexander Kynev was moved to a cell with accessible toilet facilities after he stopped eating because of conditions in detention, his lawyer said.
October 29, 2026
Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression
On Russia’s day of remembrance, a Memorial report documents 69 deaths linked to political persecution since February 2022, from denial of medical care to torture.
October 28, 2026
Aleksandr Kondratov Dies After Months in Russian Custody
The award-winning production designer behind Liquidation was detained during a passport trip from Kyiv. After months in custody, he died following hospitalization; his family and lawyers are seeking answers.
October 23, 2026
Four Journalists: Five and a Half Years for Reporting
On October 22, 2026, a Russian cassation court upheld the prison sentences of Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin. Their reporting and video work became the basis of an alleged extremist-group case. All four remain in prison.
October 23, 2026
Nika Novak: Four Years for Working With Foreign Media
The journalist from Chita was sentenced to four years for alleged confidential cooperation with a foreign organisation. After a closed trial, she faced disciplinary isolation and restrictions on correspondence. In 2026, a UN expert body found her detention arbitrary and called for her release.
October 23, 2026
Roman Ivanov: The Local Journalist Sentenced to Seven Years for Reporting on the War
Former sports television editor Roman Ivanov founded the local news project Honest Korolyov and reported on the lives of residents. Three social media posts about Russia's war in Ukraine brought him a seven-year prison sentence. In October 2026, his lawyer reported another period of punitive isolation.
October 23, 2026
Aleksey Seregin: Three Criminal Cases and a Psychiatric Examination of a Russian Regional Journalist
Aleksey Seregin reported on corruption, political trials and social issues in Russia's Mari El Republic. Detained in June 2026, he now faces three criminal cases. In September investigators sent him for a psychiatric assessment in Moscow; his family is still waiting for answers about his future.
October 23, 2026
Aleksandr Andreev: The Chita Journalist Held on an Undisclosed Treason Case
Aleksandr Andreev reported for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kasparov.ru and MBKh Media and was active in democratic opposition politics in eastern Russia. Reports in April 2026 identified him as a journalist detained on treason allegations. Russia's FSB did not publicly name the suspect, and no verdict has been verified.
October 23, 2026
Sasha Aleksandrova: The Yakutia Journalist Who Returned Home and Was Sentenced to Three Years
For more than two decades, Sasha Aleksandrova worked in regional journalism in Russia's Sakha Republic, founded ZIMA and spoke out against the invasion of Ukraine. She returned from Kazakhstan in 2024 and was later detained. The trial was closed, and the specific publication behind her conviction has not been disclosed.
October 23, 2026
Serhiy Tsyhipa: The Ukrainian Journalist Whose Prison Poems Became a Book
Nova Kakhovka journalist Serhiy Tsyhipa delivered medicine to neighbours and documented Russia's occupation before being abducted in March 2022. He was later sentenced to 13 years in a Russian penal colony. In 2026, his wife Olena published poetry he had written behind bars.
October 23, 2026
Remzi Bekirov: A Crimean Tatar Journalist Kept Thousands of Miles From His Family
Citizen journalist Remzi Bekirov documented raids and politically motivated trials in Crimea and helped families of prisoners. Arrested in 2019, he was sentenced to 19 years. In February 2026, his wife said prison authorities were returning her letters and rejecting electronic messages.
October 22, 2026
Abdulmumin Gadzhiev explained religion and economics to readers of Dagestan's independent Chernovik newspaper. Detained in 2019, he was recognised as a political prisoner by Memorial and a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He is now held in Vladimir Prison No. 2 while his wife and four sons live with the consequences of his imprisonment.
October 22, 2026
Sergey Mikhaylov: Eight Years in Prison for Reporting on Bucha and Mariupol
For almost 25 years, Listok publisher Sergey Mikhaylov held officials in Russia's Altai Republic to account. After his paper covered civilian deaths in Bucha and the destruction of sites in Mariupol, he was arrested. An eight-year prison sentence was upheld in cassation in May 2026.
October 22, 2026
Mikhail Afanasyev: The Journalist Who Refused to Turn Away From Eleven Riot Police Officers
Mikhail Afanasyev, editor of the independent Siberian outlet Novy Fokus, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after reporting that eleven National Guard officers refused to fight in Ukraine. A long history of investigations, the closure of his outlet and letters from prison reveal the human cost of the prosecution.
October 22, 2026
Iryna Danylovych, a Crimean nurse, journalist and rights defender, is serving a prison sentence of six years and eleven months. After losing hearing in one ear, she reported continuing painful noise in her penal colony. Her sister read her latest letter publicly on October 21, 2026.
October 22, 2026
Vasilisa Shishkina: The Buryatia Journalist Jailed for 12 Years in a Secret Treason Case
For years, Buryatia journalist Vasilisa Shishkina documented the struggles of mobilized men, forest firefighters and families seeking answers from officials. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a closed treason case in May 2026. The authorities have never publicly explained the alleged conduct behind the conviction.
October 22, 2026
Olga Komleva: A 12-Year Sentence Over Navalny Activism and an Anti-War Post
Russian journalist Olga Komleva received a 12-year prison sentence on charges linked to Alexei Navalny’s banned movement and a social media post about the war in Ukraine. Her case also involves multimillion-ruble lawsuits over protests, a trial behind closed doors and reports of serious health problems in detention.
October 22, 2026
Maria Ponomarenko: Three Prison Sentences After Reporting on Mariupol
Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko has been imprisoned since April 2022 over a post about the bombing of Mariupol’s theatre. Her initial six-year sentence was followed by two convictions arising from disputes with prison staff. In October 2026 she reported isolation in a high-security cell unit and worsening mental health.
October 22, 2026
Russian Historian Vladimir Zhuravlev Faces Ten Years Over Three War Posts
Vladimir Zhuravlev, a 66-year-old local historian from Lomonosov, faces up to ten years in prison over three posts about the war. His defense is challenging the prosecution’s linguistic findings and the reliability of digital evidence. No verdict has been confirmed.
October 22, 2026
Prosecutors Seek 12 Years for Philosopher Nikolai Zyuzev Instead of Seven
Prosecutors want Nikolai Zyuzev’s sentence increased from seven to 12 years. The 70-year-old philosopher also reports serious health problems in custody. The grounds for seeking a longer sentence have not been made public.
October 17, 2026
Pavel Syutkin: Six Years in Prison Over a Post About Bucha
A Moscow court sentenced culinary historian Pavel Syutkin to six years in a penal colony over posts about Bucha. The case involved raids, a closed trial and a disputed expert report. His defense has appealed.
October 16, 2026
Alexander Skobov: From Soviet Psychiatric Hospitals to a 16-Year Prison Sentence
A Soviet-era dissident twice subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment, Alexander Skobov is now serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. His case spans decades of opposition activism, terrorism-related charges and renewed punishment behind bars.
October 15, 2026
Three Years Since Navalny’s Lawyers Were Arrested: How Legal Defense Became a Criminal Case
Three years after the arrests of Alexei Navalny’s defense lawyers, Vadim Kobzev and Aleksei Liptser remain in prison, while Igor Sergunin has completed his sentence. The proceedings raise serious questions about legal privilege and the independence of the defense.
October 14, 2026
Russian ornithologist Sofya Rozenfeld was sentenced to three and a half years in prison over two 1,000-ruble donations to Navalny’s foundation. Her life, scientific work and case.
October 5, 2026
Ivan Safronov: 22 Years in Prison. The Persecution of a Journalist
Military correspondent Ivan Safronov has been imprisoned since July 2020 and is serving a 22-year sentence in a treason case. Memorial recognizes him as a political prisoner, Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, while CPJ and RSF link his prosecution to his journalism. The story of the case, pressure on his defense team, and more than six years behind bars.
October 5, 2026
Antonina Favorskaya: 5½ years in prison in the FBK “extremist community” case
SOTAvision journalist Antonina Favorskaya is serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence in Penal Colony No. 3 in Russia’s Kostroma Region under Article 282.1(2) of the Criminal Code. Prosecutors tied her to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation through video production and street interviews; the trial was closed. By September 11, 2026, she had spent more than 82 days in punishment cells after refusing prison sewing work.
October 3, 2026
RusNews journalist Roman Ivanov, who is serving a seven-year sentence at Penal Colony No. 6 in Kolomna over three posts about the war, has been placed in a punishment cell for 14 days. The reason for the disciplinary measure has not been made public. According to his lawyer, the prison administration plans to move Ivanov to stricter conditions of detention after he leaves SHIZO.
September 28, 2026
Political Scientist Alexander Kynev Arrested on a Drug Charge
Political scientist Alexander Kynev, who has spent more than three decades studying Russian elections and regional politics, has been jailed on charges of attempted large-scale drug distribution. Kynev denies the accusation. Here is what is known about his career, his work with Yabloko, Golos, Russia’s Central Election Commission and New People, his designation as a “foreign agent,” and a criminal case whose factual basis has so far barely been made public.
September 28, 2026
Tatyana Felgenhauer: arrest in absentia in a “foreign agent” case
Former Echo of Moscow deputy editor-in-chief Tatyana Felgenhauer was arrested in absentia in a “foreign agent” case. A second, terrorism-related case has been reported only by an anonymous source cited by RIA Novosti.