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In 2018 Victor Filinkov was a 23-year old programmer and a left-wing activist. Suddenly he became the suspect of the “Network” case - young people from Penza, Moscow and other cities allegedly created a terrorist organization.

Source: Anarchist Black Cross Moscow

Andrey Chernov is an anarchist, antifascist, and vegan. Before his arrest, he lived in Penza. He participated in the Food Not Bombs, organized free markets, and took part in the No surrender anti-fascist mixed martial arts tournament.

Source: Anarchist Black Cross Moscow

On February 14, Lyubov Lizunova, a defendant in the Chita Anarchists' Case, was taken out of Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 in Chita in Russian Far East. The three-week transfer route passed through Irkutsk and Mariinsk in the Kemerovo region of Siberia. On March 2, Lyubov informed her parents that she had arrived at the juvenile correctional colony in Tomsk.

Hi, this is Anarchist Black Cross Moscow. Our group has been helping imprisoned anarchists, anti-fascists and their allies since 2003. Now we are facing a level of repression against members and participants of the anarchist and anti-fascist movements unprecedented in Russia's recent history. We can oppose the repression they want to shut our mouths with by standing in solidarity with our imprisoned comrades and comrades-in-arms.

A Russian and Italian citizen, an electrician from [the Russian city of] Ryazan, an industrial tourist, a bike traveller, an anarchist and a partisan – all this can be said about 36-year-old Ruslan Sidiki. In the summer of 2023, he dispatched four drones with explosives to attack the Diaghilev military airfield near Ryazan, and in the autumn, he decided to act “from the ground” – damaging railway lines with two bombs and derailing 19 freight train wagons. Sidiki is currently awaiting trial in a Moscow pre-trial detention centre, with the prospect of a life sentence hanging over him.

Translation of the article into English was done by our volunteers.

Hey everyone! The year of 2024 is coming to an end. During these 12 months, there's been as much bad as good. All that has happened needs to be thought about and analysed, as the one who doesn't understand the past won't have any future. That's why we decided in the year's last episode of "Trends" to collect the four most popular episodes from the year and freshen up our memories of what happened, how, and what we thought about it.

The podcast was released in Russian on December 30 and was translated by our volunteers.

Translation of the article into English was done by our volunteers.

At the end of March 2024, the mathematician and anarchist Azat Miftakhov was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in a criminal case for “justifying terrorism”. Miftakhov pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The case itself emerged after a prisoner, whom the anarchist considered a close friend in the colony, testified against the mathematician. The defence and Azat himself have repeatedly stated that the case is fabricated.

Friends, during the repeated psychiatric examination Roman was recognized as sane. Now the case against him has been reopened. He will be considered separately from the other defendants of the «Tyumen case».

Very soon in the case of Roman Paklin will enter a new defense lawyer. A new fundraisers for  the lawyer costs has been opened.

At this stage it is necessary to raise 2 860 € for Roman's defense. This is the first payment, which will be enough for 6 months of work of the defense lawyer. 

On April 25, 2024, the 1st District Military Court in a visiting session in Chita sentenced the antifascist Alexander Snezhkov to 6 years, and the antifascist Lyubov Lizunova to 3.5 years in prison. Snezhkov was found guilty under the article on vandalism motivated by political hostility because of a graffiti "Death to the regime". Both were convicted under articles on calls to extremism and terrorism. 

The Solidarity zone team learned that Rouslan Sidiki had been tortured after his detention almost as soon as the independent lawyer began work. However, it was important to obtain documentary evidence of the mutilation that was observed when he entered the SIZO (pre-trial detention centre). Now, some months later, his lawyer Igor Popovsky has now managed obtain that document.

Welcome to our latest news compilation on imprisoned anarchists, featuring the rescue of Denis Kozak, the release of Lev Skoryakin, the new sentence for Azat Mifthakov, the ongoing case of Yuri Mikheev and the significant case of the Chita anarchists.

For this year’s International Anarchist Prisoner Solidarity Week, Freedom interviewed the Anarchist Black Cross-Moscow to discuss their long history in Russia supporting imprisoned Russian anarchists, the challenges they face under Putin’s regime and their work during the war on Ukraine.

According to Solidarity Zone, the lawyer Igor Popovsky visited Ruslan Siddiqui in the Moscow detention centre SIZO-5 and received a confirmation from him that the report by TASS about the anarchist's desire to go to fight on the side of the Russian Federation was a lie.

More about the international initiative:

The anarchist Ruslan Siddiqui is accused of attacking the Dyagilevo military aerodrome, using quadcopters, and of damaging railway lines (in Ryazan region) that were used to transport military equipment and fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine.

Anti-War Human Rights Initiative Solidarity zone launching a fundraiser to pay for the next six months’ work by Ruslan’s lawyer. For six months’ legal work we need to raise €4290.

On May 25 we invite you to the 'Solidarity zone' event in Leipzig (13.00, gallery Jochen Hempel, Spinnereistraße 7) in support of political prisoners in Russia. It will be held in the framework of the exhibition 'freedom is a verb' by Alla Gutnikova.

Facebook event

Yuri Mikheev is an anti-fascist from Lobnya, just outside Moscow. On 10 November 2023, he and a friend were detained on the territory of a military unit in the Moscow region. The FSB accused the young men of planning to set fire to military equipment. A case was initiated under criminal articles regarding "preparation for sabotage". Yura faces up to 10 years.

In January, the Father Frost against Putin-festival was organized in Helsinki for the ninth time. The first festival was organized in 2014, but there were no festivals in 2021 and 2022 due to border closures and Covid.

An evening of solidarity with veg prisoners from Russia  will take place on May 3 at 18.00 in Helsinki (Ulrika, Leppäsuonkatu 11).

Facebook event