Russia is repressive. July 29 - August 4, 2024.

Chronicle of repressions in Russia.

During the first week of August, Russian security forces opened at least fifteen criminal cases, where, according to Avtozak LIVE, there is a political motive.

We classified five cases as cases initiated for words, and two more as violent. Because of the war in Ukraine, security forces have opened at least ten criminal cases.

In addition, our digest contains three cases that do not belong to the categories described above. For example, the persecution of Andrei Glazachev, who lit a cigarette from the Eternal Flame, or a resident of St. Petersburg who painted an inscription near an Orthodox church.

Hello! If you are reading this text, it means that what we are talking about is important to you. Help the project continue its work! You can send a donation using this link or by clicking on the button at the end of this text.

This digest was prepared based on the database of our project “If there were no war.”

If you find an error or know information about other criminal cases, write to our telegram bot.

July 30, 2024:

• In the city of Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad region, a 36-year-old local resident was detained . According to security forces, the man was preparing an attack on the administration building of the municipal formation “Chernyakhovsky Municipal District” on instructions from the “Russian Volunteer Corps”. During the search, the man was allegedly found to have an improvised explosive device, 210 rounds of ammunition and components for making explosives. A criminal case was opened against the detainee for attempted terrorist attack and illegal possession of explosives. The court sent him to a pre-trial detention center.
• A local resident was detained in the Rostov region; his name has not been disclosed. According to the investigation, the man, acting on instructions from the Ukrainian special service, in April 2024 transferred to the enemy side data that could be used against the Russian Armed Forces and lead to damage to one of the critical military infrastructure facilities. The defendant also received instructions from a representative of the Ukrainian special service on how to make an improvised explosive device and began purchasing its components. A criminal case was opened against a resident of the Rostov region for high treason and illegal production of explosives. The court placed him in custody during the investigation.
• In Moscow, a man named A.F. Krai was detained on charges of treason. Details of the charges are unknown. The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow placed the person involved in the case in a pre-trial detention center.
• A local resident, a citizen of Ukraine, was detained in St. Petersburg. He was accused of espionage. According to investigators, in 2023, a man, whose full name was not disclosed, gave voluntary consent to cooperate with an SBU officer to collect and transfer information regarding departments of government agencies and authorities in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which could be used against the security of the Russian Federation. On July 31, 2024, the Krasnoselsky District Court of St. Petersburg ruled to impose a preventive measure in the form of detention on the defendant in the case.
• In the city of Revda, Sverdlovsk region, a criminal case was opened for desecration of a symbol of military glory against local 45-year-old resident Andrei Glazachev. According to investigators, on July 30, the man, while intoxicated, while in Victory Park, lit a cigarette from the Eternal Flame. It is unknown whether a preventive measure has been chosen.

July 31, 2024:

• A 45-year-old local resident, a native of Ukraine, was detained in the Smolensk region; his name has not been disclosed. The man was accused of publicly calling for terrorism. According to investigators, the person involved in the case, speaking out sharply against the special military operation, called on the Russian military on his Internet platforms to lay down their arms and join armed formations recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation. It is unknown whether a preventive measure has been chosen.

August 1, 2024:

• A 34-year-old local resident was detained in the city of Biysk, Altai Territory. He was accused of justifying terrorism. According to the security forces, the man, whose name has not been disclosed, posted a comment on Vkontakte in which he gave a positive assessment of the attack of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles on social facilities in Moscow. It is unknown whether a preventive measure has been chosen.
• In annexed Crimea, a criminal case was opened for repeated “discrediting of the army” against 52-year-old local resident Oleg Shaposhnikov. According to investigators, Shaposhnikov “shouted in a public place slogans included in the list of Nazi slogans by the Russian Ministry of Justice.”
• In Karelia, FSB officers came with a search to an independent journalist, author of the Telegram channel “From Karelia with freedom” Valery Potashov. A criminal case was opened against him for participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization.” He is accused of collaborating with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which was declared “undesirable” in February 2024.
• The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow granted the investigation's request and arrested former GRU officer Alexander Dubinin in absentia. He is accused of treason and financing terrorism. Details of the charges are unknown.

August 2, 2024:

• In the Kemerovo region, the FSB detained a 61-year-old local resident, a native of Ukraine. He was accused of collaborating with a foreign state to the detriment of the Russian Federation. According to the security forces, the man, whose name has not been disclosed, disagreed with the current political system and the war in Ukraine, contacted certain “foreign organizations” via the Internet and “offered to provide assistance to foreign states in activities that are obviously directed against the security of the Russian Federation.” The court chose a preventive measure for the person involved in the case in the form of detention.
• In the city of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, a local resident was detained , his name has not been disclosed. The man was accused of treason. According to investigators, the person involved in the case allegedly distributed leaflets in public places with anti-war content and a QR code, which could be used to “establish contact with a foreign organization,” and also conducted video and photography of military installations located in the region. The Dzerzhinsky City Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region chose a preventive measure for him in the form of detention.
• In Kaliningrad, on the evening of August 2, 2024, 53-year-old nurse Elena Nikolaenkova was detained right at her workplace. A search was carried out in her house, after which she was taken for questioning to the investigative committee. Nikolayenkova was accused of publicly “justifying terrorism.” The reason for the criminal prosecution was a comment in the Telegram chat of Masyanya’s fans, in which the woman spoke out in support of the Russian Volunteer Corps, which is fighting on the side of Ukraine and is recognized in Russia as a terrorist organization. According to the security forces, in April 2024, against the backdrop of raids in the Belgorod region, Nikolayenkova wrote a post in a telegram with the words: “Not slowly, but quite vigorously. RDK are handsome." The court chose a preventive measure for Nikolaenkova in the form of detention.
• A 28-year-old local resident was detained in St. Petersburg. A criminal case was opened against him for vandalism. According to the security forces, on July 31, 2024, a young man painted pacifist graffiti on the wall of the pedestrian tunnel that leads to the Victory Square metro station and made a statement “insulting the president.” During the investigation, the person involved in the case was given a written undertaking not to leave the place.

August 3, 2024:

• A 22-year-old local resident was detained in St. Petersburg; her name has not been reported. According to security forces, on July 30, 2024, a girl painted the inscription “AYAT 9:5” near the Church of St. Blessed Xenia of Petersburg on Lakhtinskaya Street - this is a reference to a verse in the Koran that calls for the persecution of polytheists if they do not accept Islam. A criminal case of vandalism was opened against the St. Petersburg woman. After interrogation, she was released on her own recognizance.