A person convicted for setting fire to a military enlistment office has spoken about violence in prison and poor detention conditions.

Dmitry Mikheev, a 24-year-old resident of Bratsk, said that he has faced violence in the prison in Verkhneuralsk, where he is serving a sentence for setting fire to a military enlistment office. This was reported by the Telegram channel of the “Freedom to Political Prisoners” support group for those facing political persecution.

An information form about prison conditions was sent to Mikheev. To the question “Do the guards beat you?,” he replied: “It happens; when the camera isn’t watching or they take you away.”

He also said that he is not allowed to make phone calls, his letters are withheld, and he is not permitted to order necessary food or items from the prison shop. “They don’t give me my own food, either,” Mikheev wrote. When asked about prison meals, he replied that since February the food has improved, but previously “it was dire.”

The convicted individual said he is unable to wash properly: “No more than 5 minutes in the ‘bathhouse.’”

Mikheev’s relations with the other inmates are normal. He described his health as good.

The support group reports that a complaint has been filed with the prosecutor’s office.

On 30 April, Dmitry Mikheev submitted a complaint to the prosecutor describing repeated use of force by FSIN officers. OVD-Info has a copy of the complaint.

According to Mikheev, he was beaten in the bathhouse on 10 February, and in an office on 13 March. He was also beaten in December 2025 while in the prison’s quarantine unit.

“They hit me with their fists on the head, legs, and chest, and also with their knees and elbows—all while I was complying with staff demands and standing in a safe position, offering no resistance,” he writes in the complaint. Mikheev noted that he can identify the prison staff who used force against him.

He also said that FSIN staff restrict his correspondence and that written statements he has tried to pass through them have disappeared without a trace. The complaint to the prosecutor was successfully delivered via a lawyer.

• In January 2025, Mikheev was sentenced to 18 years in a strict-regime colony on charges of committing a terrorist act (Art. 205, pt. 1 of the Criminal Code), terrorist training (Art. 205.3), and high treason (Art. 275). On appeal, his sentence was reduced by three months. Initially, the young man was charged only under a lesser article—intentional damage to property (Art. 167, pt. 2).
• Mikheev has been in detention for over three years. In November 2025, his mother Irina died. According to volunteers, she had heart problems and was under 50 years old. She was the only one bringing parcels for her son. His older brother refused to support him, and his father left the family a long time ago. Volunteers now provide support to the convicted individual.
• According to law enforcement agencies, in January 2023 Mikheev threw a bottle containing a flammable mixture through the window of a military enlistment office. He was also accused of sending a donation to the “Freedom of Russia” legion. Before his arrest, he worked as a sound engineer for “Bratsk” TV and radio company in Bratsk, a major city in eastern Siberia.