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On October 22, 2025, the Second District Military Court in Chita will start hearing a new criminal case against anarchist Alexander Snezhkov. This time, he is charged under of “Public calls for terrorist activity, public justification, or propaganda of terrorism.” The article carries a penalty of up to 500,000 rubles (circa 5000 euros) in fines or two to five years in prison.

This is the second criminal case against Snezhkov. The first ended on April 25, 2024, when the First District Military Court, during an offsite session in Chita, sentenced him to six years in a penal colony. He was found guilty under the article on ”vandalism motivated by political hatred” for graffiti reading “Death to the regime.” He was also convicted under articles for calls to ”extremism” and ”terrorism” for administering anarchist Telegram channels. In November 2024, the appeal court reduced the sentence to five years and ten months.

Snezhkov was arrested in the fall of 2022 in Chita. The grounds for his arrest were graffiti and his administration of the Telegram channels “75zlo” and “Shugan-25,” which published news about anti-war protests, partisan actions, and animal rights.

The new criminal case was opened in January 2025 while Alexander was in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Chita. A fellow inmate cooperating with the administration was placed in his cell and began questioning him about the case. Their conversation was secretly recorded. Based on this recording, the FSB opened a new case against him for “justifying terrorism.”

The hearing will take place at Chita, Leningradskaya Street 100, courtroom No. 1. It will begin at 10:00 a.m. The judge is O. O. Dunyashin.

According to Alexander, the court may try to issue a verdict in a single session. He intends to fight to the end, but under the conditions of a military court—which has become a punitive institution—much has already been predetermined. In such cases in Russia, acquittals are almost unheard of.

Friends, journalists, and concerned residents of Chita are encouraged to attend the trial and show support for Alexander. He needs solidarity and human attention that is stronger than any wall. Even if the hearing is closed to the public, it is still important to come and show support.

You may write letters of support to Alexander. Letters should be written in Russian, but you can use automated online translation tools. We recommend writing at least the prisoner’s name in Cyrillic, and, if possible, also the address in Cyrillic letters.

Prisoner’s name in Cyrillic (to be written after the address, according to Russian convention): Снежкову Александру Евгеньевичу 2003 г.р.

Address in Cyrillic letters: 672010, РФ, Забайкальский край, г. Чита, ул. Ингодинская, 1а, Россия Russia

Address in Latin letters: FKU SIZO-1 UFSiN of Russia for the Transbaikal Territory, Ingodinskaya Street 1a, Chita, 672010, Zabaykalsky Krai Russia

You can also send letters via ABC Moscow by email: abc-msk@riseup.net. However, we may not provide return mail redirecting, so please add a return postal address to your e-mails!

Solidarity is our weapon!

Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow

You can find the contact addresses of all prisoners in Russia supported by Anarchist Black Cross Moscow here (and instructions how to donate here). If you want to make a donation to a particular prisoner or case, please contact us beforehand via e-mail to make sure that the supporters of the prisoner or case are currently gathering donations, our e-mail is the same as the listed PayPal account. We are present in Telegram and Facebook, you may sign up to our e-mail newsletter here.