The St Petersburg artist Alexei Kiryanov has been declared wanted as someone “evading administrative arrest.” This was reported on his Telegram channel by his lawyer, Dinar Idrisov.
Idrisov wrote that on 9 September, Kiryanov is turning 70: “A much-loved and widely respected artist around the world—now apparently an extremist as well—is likely being sought after not with cake and flowers…” the lawyer added.
Earlier, the Sestroretsk District Court of St Petersburg sentenced Kiryanov to 12 days’ detention due to two posts about Putin on VKontakte. The artist was found guilty under the administrative article on inciting hatred or enmity (Art. 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Kiryanov himself was not present at the hearing. When the lawyer asked how an arrest could be handed down in the defendant’s absence, the judge replied: “We’ll declare him wanted, and hold the lawyer accountable for hiding him.”
An administrative case was opened against him in mid-June over two posts made in 2024.
The first post featured a photograph from the “For Fair Elections” demonstration in February 2012. The photo shows St Petersburg activists dressed as vampires holding a banner reading “Ghouls vote for Putin” against the backdrop of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. According to case materials, experts from St Petersburg State University concluded the photo contained elements intended to incite hatred or enmity towards the social group “voters supporting V.V. Putin.”
The second post included a cartoon by artist Alyosha Stupin, “The Expulsion of Shoigu from Paradise,” which features images of Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu. According to the same experts, the cartoon was deemed to incite hatred towards the religious group “Christians,” as well as towards the group “non-Christians.”
Kiryanov is an artist and painter, member of the Union of Artists of St Petersburg and the International Federation of Artists (IFA). According to information on Kiryanov’s official website, he has participated in more than 120 exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
10 September The court did not issue Alexei Kiryanov a decision confirming administrative arrest, and the special detention centre refused to admit the activist. This was reported by RusNews.
At the special detention centre on Zakharyevskaya Street, where Kiryanov arrived voluntarily to serve his sentence, staff said there were no places available. The artist’s lawyer filed complaints, but so far they have gone unanswered.
12 September Artist Alexei Kiryanov has now been admitted to the temporary detention facility in Vyborg, reports RusNews.
On the evening of 11 September, Kiryanov arrived independently at the temporary detention facility in Vyborg, a town in northwest Russia, where he was accepted to serve his administrative detention. Since 9 September, the St Petersburg special detention centre on Zakharyevskaya Street had refused to admit him, citing a lack of space. At the same time, Kiryanov was listed as wanted for “evading sentence enforcement.”
According to lawyer Dinar Idrisov, on the morning of 10 September police proposed that the artist “surrender” and be taken to Vyborg under an official record of administrative detention. Kiryanov refused this option, believing it might confirm the allegation of “evasion.” He insisted on turning himself in voluntarily—he had court documents with him.
Staff at the facility stated: “You have two days left to serve; you already skipped ten.” It is currently unclear how the 12-day detention period will be calculated. Kiryanov has also submitted a court application for early release from detention on medical grounds—a decision on this has not yet been made.
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Illustration: OVD-Info