Switch Language

This translation was made by AI

Alexey Grigoriev, an anarchist sentenced to 20 years, was beaten during his transfer from Yekaterinburg’s Detention Centre No. 5 to the Verkhneuralsk prison in Chelyabinsk region, in the southern Urals. After the assault, he developed an inguinal hernia and had to wait about six months to be seen by a surgeon. This was reported by the “Fires of Freedom” initiative.

Grigoriev was beaten in March 2026. According to “Fires of Freedom,” the probable reason was his conversation with prisoners of war in Ukrainian. Earlier, the anarchist described a conflict with Federal Penitentiary Service officers: in April 2025, he said one of them threatened to send him to “the very worst camp” after Grigoriev tried to help a cellmate who had been beaten document his injuries.

During the six months waiting for a doctor, Grigoriev says he lost 20 kilograms. He complains of constant abdominal pain, difficulty eating, and difficulty using the toilet.

“I am losing weight and sight, balding, and my mental health is deteriorating. I keep a ‘hunger calendar.’ Over the past two months I have only had 40 proper meals, each followed by abdominal pain,” Grigoriev said.

In prison, he is held under strict conditions and his correspondence has been restricted since arrival.

  • Grigoriev was detained in May 2023, on the eve of an alleged arson attack on a relay cabinet at a railway station. According to the FSB, he cooperated with the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live,” put up flyers calling on Russian soldiers to surrender, and was planning to join the “Freedom of Russia” legion. He was charged with preparing an act of terrorism and treason, as well as participation in a terrorist organisation.
  • After his detention, the FSB published a video in which Grigoriev says “people from Ukraine” contacted him. He himself claimed he was forced to record this under threats to himself and his loved ones. In court, Grigoriev said he confessed under torture. According to him, security officers beat him on the head, put a bag over him, used a stun gun and applied electricity through wires from a military field phone.
  • In February 2025, the Central District Military Court sentenced Grigoriev to 20 years imprisonment under articles for preparing an act of terrorism by a group (part 1 of article 30, point “a” of part 2 of article 205 of the Criminal Code), preparing for treason (part 1 of article 30, article 275), and participating in a terrorist organisation (part 2 of article 205.5). He must serve the first five years in prison, the remainder in a strict regime colony. In January 2026, the Military Court of Appeal left the sentence unchanged.