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Igor Baryshnikov, sentenced to 7.5 years in a penal colony over anti-war social media posts, was sent twice in a row to a punishment cell (SHIZO) at Correctional Colony No. 8 in Kaliningrad. This was reported by the human rights media outlet Slovo Zashchite, citing human rights defender Vadim Khayrullin.

Because he was placed in the punishment cell, Baryshnikov missed a long visit with his wife and daughter that had been scheduled for 25 July. In addition, he continues to show symptoms of cystitis, and his right eye is almost blind.

Baryshnikov was first sent to the SHIZO on 10 July for seven days. He was accused of breaking prison rules because he entered the local area near the barracks nine minutes before wake-up. Baryshnikov explained to the disciplinary commission that he had not violated the rules—he had gone out for pull-ups on the horizontal bar before the smokers arrived in the yard.

Baryshnikov needs to use eye drops, which were only given to him two days after he was placed in the SHIZO. On top of this, the storage conditions for the drops are not compatible with those in the punishment cell.

Baryshnikov was sent to the SHIZO for a second time on 17 July, this time for 14 days. According to Khayrullin, the penalty was imposed because it was very stuffy both in the exercise yard and in Baryshnikov’s cell, and he had to temporarily remove his headwear. Both before and after this, according to the doctors’ measurements, he had high blood pressure.

“Igor Baryshnikov describes the conditions in the SHIZO as inhumane,” Vadim Khayrullin told Slovo Zashchite. “There is no ventilation; the water pressure is very weak or cuts off entirely; there is no toilet in the sanitary area (just a hole in the floor); the mosquito net on the window is torn (so he is plagued by mosquitoes); sunlight only enters in the evening; the electric light is dim; the mattress is unevenly stuffed with tow, so its lumpy surface on the wooden base makes it hard to sleep; all the equipment in the cell is very old (judging by some signs, from the 1960s). No one at the colony responds to any of these violations, despite constant complaints from the prisoner. Earlier, another detainee held a hunger strike in this cell, and the staff did not visit him on that occasion either.”

At the end of September 2024, Igor Baryshnikov underwent surgery at Kaliningrad Regional Hospital—an adenoma of the prostate was removed. His defence had pushed for the surgery for at least six months, but the prison doctors kept delaying the decision. After the operation, he developed a fistula and a similar condition.

Also, at the end of 2024, Baryshnikov reported deteriorating eyesight. Only in the following winter was he diagnosed with glaucoma in his right eye and underwent surgery. Now, the visual acuity in his right eye is only 0.5 per cent, writes Slovo Zashchite.

In July 2023, Igor Baryshnikov was found guilty of spreading so-called “fakes” about the army “out of political hatred” (subparagraph d, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) due to posts sharing information about the war, including the killings of Ukrainian civilians. The court sentenced him to seven and a half years in a general regime colony. The same November, the sentence was upheld on appeal. The defence called for the sentence to be overturned due to his health. Despite this, the court did not listen to the lawyers, and the prosecutor presented a certificate from the Kaliningrad Regional Hospital stating that Baryshnikov could be held in detention facilities.

In December, Baryshnikov was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 8 in Kaliningrad Region, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. By the end of December, according to lawyers, his condition was critical: he was suffering severe groin pain and his hands had turned black from a fungal infection. Only in January, after a major public campaign, was he given minimal medical assistance.

In mid-September 2024, the cassation court upheld Baryshnikov’s sentence.

  • OVD-Info has reported in detail on the story of Igor Baryshnikov and his 96-year-old mother, Yevgeniya, for whom he cared. She died on 7 August 2023 shortly after her son’s sentence and his remand. Baryshnikov was not allowed to attend her funeral. After her death, the appeals court confirmed the decision to transfer her case to the custody authorities.
  • During the investigation and court proceedings, Baryshnikov had long been represented by lawyer Maria Boncler. She also advocated for his right to medical treatment in the colony. At the end of May, Boncler herself was detained and remanded in a pre-trial detention centre in a case alleging confidential cooperation with a foreign state or organisation (article 275.1 of the Criminal Code). Human rights defenders believe that the detention of Boncler and the subsequent pressure placed on her in detention are an act of revenge by the security services for her legal and human rights work.