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42-year-old Roman Gribov has been held in Kostroma Remand Centre No. 1 since July 2025, charged with incitement to terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code) and incitement to extremism (Part 2 of Article 280). His brother, Alexei Gribov, shared this with OVD-Info.

The case was opened over two comments on Telegram (OVD-Info has these materials at its disposal).

  • According to law enforcement, on the channel Liberty People, Gribov commented on the news of a Higher School of Economics political scientist suggesting a demonstration nuclear explosion on Russian territory. The comment reads: “Great idea! To make sure everyone’s really scared, blow up Moscow with a nuclear bomb, preferably with the dickhead.” Officers interpreted this as incitement to terrorism.
  • The second comment was found in the chat of the Telegram channel “SuperPowerChinа.” One user had shared an interview with a former prisoner who joined the Wagner PMC. In response Gribov allegedly wrote: “I suggest this category of citizens be shot or hanged. And then forget about the problem.” These words were seen by authorities as incitement to extremism.

Gribov does not admit guilt. He confirms that the Telegram account is his but insists that he did not write these comments.

The defence believes law enforcement found these comments only after detaining Gribov. The day before the case was launched, FSB officers asked a court for permission to tap Gribov’s phone and examine his devices, citing a possible charge of state treason (Article 275). They did not mention any suspicions of incitement to terrorism or extremism over the comments.

FSB and Centre “E” officers detained Gribov on 2 July 2025. The next day he was sentenced to 13 days’ detention under the article for refusal to undergo medical examination (Part 1, Article 6.9 of the Administrative Code).

Later, including in a hearing at the appeals court on the administrative case, Gribov stated that after his detention, his hands were bound with tape, a black bag was put over his head, and he was forcibly made to unlock his phone. He was then taken to the FSB directorate for Kostroma Region.

“[There] an FSB officer restrained his hands, poured water on his [legs], forced him to the ground, and plugged a bare wire into a socket. For an hour and a half he was tortured with electric shocks,” the man’s testimony is summarised in the court decision.

He was then taken home for a search, before being returned to the FSB office. He said he was beaten on the kidneys and then forced to drink vodka and taken to the Kostroma District police station. There, a police officer in the presence of witnesses offered him a medical examination. Gribov agreed.

“At [this], an FSB officer demanded that Gribov refuse to undergo the exam. He refused,” his testimony is quoted in the court decision. As a result, he was written up for refusing the examination.

According to Investigative Committee files, staff at the temporary holding centre saw bruising on Gribov.

On 15 July, a criminal case was officially opened against Gribov. He was sent to the remand centre. On the same day, forensic medical examiners inspected the man and recorded bruises on his chest, back, right leg, and pelvic area, as well as abrasions on the same leg and on his left shoulder. Despite this, the Investigative Committee declined to open a torture case.

Recently, Gribov has faced pressure in Kostroma Remand Centre No. 1, according to his brother. On 30 December, the Kostroma resident was moved into a cell with two people—one of whom Gribov recognised as an FSB officer involved in his torture. He remained in this cell until 12 January. According to his brother, the two cellmates put psychological pressure on him and threatened new criminal cases and the fate of Maxim Martsinkevich, who was found dead in a remand centre, if he continued not to confess.

His brother said that before his arrest, Roman Gribov worked as a sales manager for motor oils. In his free time, he helped animals in local shelters, and three years ago himself raised a stray puppy, whom he kept ever since.