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

Dmitry Mikheev, a 24-year-old from Bratsk, has reported being subjected to violence in the Verkhneuralsk prison, where he is serving a sentence over the arson attack on a military enlistment office. The Telegram channel of the “Freedom to Political Prisoners” support group reported this.

Mikheev was given a questionnaire about the conditions in the prison. In response to the question “Do the guards beat you?,” he replied: “Sometimes; they make sure the camera can’t see or take you away.”

He also said he is not allowed to make calls, his letters are not passed on, and he is not permitted to order essential food or items from the prison shop: “They don’t even give me the food I receive,” wrote Mikheev. Responding to a question about prison food, he said it has improved since February, whereas before it had been “terrible.”

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

Mikheev said his relationships with other prisoners are normal. He described his health status as good.

The support group reports that they have submitted a complaint to the prosecutor’s office.

30 April This section originally included additional information about pressure. At the request of Mikheev’s support group, we have removed it for security reasons. As a human rights project, we cannot ignore such requests, so we have deleted this part of the news item.

• In January 2025, Mikheev was sentenced to 18 years in a strict regime colony on charges of terrorism (Article 205 Part 1 of the Criminal Code), training for terrorism (Article 205.3), and high treason (Article 275). On appeal, his sentence was reduced by three months. Initially, the young man was charged only under a single, less serious article: intentional damage to property (Article 167 Part 2).
• Mikheev has been in detention for over three years. In November 2025, his mother Irina passed away. According to volunteers, she had heart problems and was under 50 years old. She was the only one bringing care packages to her son. His older brother refused to support him, and his father left the family long ago. Now, volunteers are helping the convicted man.
• According to law enforcement, in January 2023 Mikheev threw a bottle containing a flammable mixture into the window of a military enlistment office. He was also accused of making a donation to the “Freedom of Russia” Legion. Before his arrest, he worked as a sound engineer at “Bratsk” TV and Radio Company. (Bratsk is a city in eastern Siberia.)