Ivan Silin

A resident of the Moscow region, Silin was targeted in an operation involving an alleged FSB informant. According to his family, in 2021, Silin and his friends met an individual posing as a special forces veteran who was later revealed to be an informant. This individual systematically provoked discussions on sensitive topics, such as seeking sponsors in Ukraine, planning terrorist attacks, and criticising the authorities, while secretly recording all conversations. Although Silin and his friends often disagreed with him, they reportedly did not openly object due to their respect for his supposed military background.

The support group for the defendants claims the informant encouraged them to practice throwing Molotov cocktails in an abandoned building, recording these actions on FSB-issued devices. He also reportedly showed them a handgun—claiming it was a trophy from Ukraine—and offered to teach them handling techniques, citing his past service in the 604th Special Purpose Centre "Vityaz." The defendants allegedly practised these techniques using air pistols. These meetings were later legally qualified as "undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities."

By December 2022, most of the individuals involved had reportedly ceased contact with the informant. However, in May 2023, Silin was detained on suspicion of preparing to bomb a military unit in Balashikha and was remanded in a pre-trial detention centre. He was charged with participation in a terrorist community and undergoing terrorist training. At the time of the alleged plot, Silin was not present at the military unit and had not communicated with the other defendants for approximately six months. His support group also noted that his mother had been subjected to months of surveillance by unidentified vehicles.

Additionally, a separate case was initiated against Silin for "complicity in sabotage." The prosecution alleges he discussed plans to set fire to a railway transformer substation in Balashikha with Anton Khripko, the suspected leader of the group. On 29 July 2025, Silin was sentenced to 16 years in a strict-regime penal colony in the first case.