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Eco-activist Alexey Semenov (also known as Panchoha) from Komi was arrested in early August and sentenced to 28 days in jail due to failing to complete 250 hours of community service, which had been assigned to him for dumping a bag of rubbish onto an official’s desk. This was reported by the Telegram channel “Komi Politzek.”

The man was remanded in custody at the Sosnogorsk pre-trial detention centre. He will remain there until 6 September.

In September 2024, a court in Komi sentenced Semenov to 250 hours of community service for insulting a public official (Article 319 of the Criminal Code). The case was initiated after the eco-activist in December 2023 dumped the contents of a rubbish bag onto the desk of Natalia Arteeva, head of the State Housing Inspectorate for the Izhma District in Komi.

According to investigators, Semenov’s actions humiliated the honour and dignity of the victim and undermined the authority of state bodies. In addition to community service, the court ordered him to pay Arteeva 40,000 rubles (about US$440).

Semenov explained his actions by saying the official had earlier refused to investigate the actions of the regional waste operator, who had included an unused container area near a children’s playground in the contract. At the same time, the operator began billing flats for arrears accrued over the previous three years. During the incident, he said: “Officials must comply with Putin’s law,” and referred to Article 17.1 of the Federal Law “On Production and Consumption Waste.”

Semenov went to the official after seeing a local resident unloading an entire car boot full of rubbish bags at the illegal site. He picked up one of the stray bags and went to the head of the State Housing Inspectorate.

  • At the beginning of 2025, Alexey Semenov was also found guilty under the article on repeated “discrediting” of the Russian army (Part 1, Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). The charge related to a post that began: “Izhma rehearses meeting Cargo ‘200’” as well as an anti-war protest—in September 2022, he brought a rubbish bag marked “200” to the mobilisation assembly point. The court fined Semenov 100,000 rubles (about US$1,100) and released him from punishment due to expiry of the statute of limitations.

  • Alexey Semenov operated a recycling collection point in Izhma—a town in the Komi Republic—and opposed the construction of a landfill for solid household waste. The eco-activist also travelled to Arkhangelsk region, north-west Russia, to join protests against the waste dump at the Shies station.