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Philipp Medvedev, a Moscow resident sentenced to 3 years and 11 months in a penal colony over an audio message about blowing up the FSB, has been held in a punishment cell at the colony for nearly two months. His mother informed OVD-Info about this.
Since January 2024, Medvedev has been serving his sentence in Correctional Colony No. 5 in Oryol Region (the settlement of Naryshkino, a town southwest of Moscow). According to his mother, he carried out his work duties in the colony for about a year and a half. However, after his mental health worsened, he stopped going to work, which led to his placement in the punishment cell (SHIZO).
“Since May 2024, Philipp faced serious health issues, was losing weight, suffered from depression and displayed signs of a nervous disorder caused by the conditions of his detention and the stressful environment. Given the situation, he urgently needs medical assistance and appropriate conditions for rehabilitation,” Medvedev’s mother wrote in her note to the head of the colony.
Medvedev has been in SHIZO since mid-July, and this measure has been repeatedly extended. He was released from the cell only briefly. The last time his mother visited him in the colony was in May, during which she noticed significant weight loss. Since his placement in SHIZO, there has been no contact with him. The colony administration also refuses to accept parcels for him due to the new detention regime.
The convicted man’s mother met with the colony chief, who confirmed that this measure was imposed because of his refusal to go to work. The chief also confirmed that Medvedev will remain there until the end of autumn. According to doctors from the Serbsky Institute, the young man has a chronic illness, and it has worsened during his detention.
Even before he was placed in SHIZO, Medvedev asked to be transferred to an easier detention regime, but was refused. The reason was that he was accused of violating the colony’s internal rules. Medvedev’s mother has filed complaints with various bodies, including the regional Human Rights Commissioner.
In the colony, Medvedev helped other inmates learn English. Some prisoners who were released passed on positive comments about him to his mother.
“I can’t believe this is happening to my son. It feels like a bad dream but unfortunately, this is harsh reality and I want people to know about it, because this is unjustifiably inhumane,” Medvedev’s mother told OVD-Info.
On 15 August 2023, Philipp Medvedev was sentenced to four years and two months in a general-regime colony. He was accused of inciting terrorist activities over the internet (Part 2, Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). Investigators allege he published a voice message to his 37-subscriber Telegram channel proposing to strike the FSB building in Moscow and to build an “apart-hotel ‘Russia’” in its place. The message was published back in April 2022. In March 2023, the Tushinsky District Court remanded him in pre-trial detention.
The Military Appeals Court in Vlasikha (a closed military town in Moscow Region) on 15 November reduced his sentence by three months. As a result, he is now serving three years and 11 months in a general-regime colony.
Medvedev admitted he was the author of the voice message and called his action foolish and mistaken. He said he was simply expressing an emotional opinion “in connection with the militarist policy.” His lawyer argued that the phrase “bomb with Iskanders” could not incite real action since Medvedev’s subscribers do not have access to such weapons.
You can support Medvedev by writing a paper letter or via the “F-pismo” online service. He might be able to read your message between periods in SHIZO.
Philipp Igorevich Medvedev, born 12 February 1998.
Address: 303900, Oryol Region, Naryshkino, Zavodskaya St. 62, IK-5, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service for Oryol Region.
- Previously, Philipp Medvedev had also been convicted under the article on intentional damage to property (Article 167 of the Criminal Code), his acquaintance told OVD-Info. According to investigators, upon seeing a car displaying the letter Z, Medvedev punctured one of the tyres with a knife, then scratched a similar symbol onto it. He was sentenced to eight months’ correctional labour, which was still ongoing at the time of his arrest.
- Before criminal charges were filed against Medvedev for his comments about the FSB, he had been detained three times for 15 days each in a special detention centre on administrative charges of displaying Nazi symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 Administrative Code). The first arrest was for a profile picture on VKontakte featuring the flag of Vlasov’s Russian Liberation Army. The second time he was arrested for a tweet with a photo of Ku Klux Klan members, which he posted in response to a news story about a girl being robbed in South Africa. Another arrest was connected to a post about fighting Zionism.