Nikita Afanasev

A resident of Zabaykalsky Krai. On 25 December 2015, he was detained and then taken into custody. He was accused of involvement in the "Right Sector", as well as the manufacture and possession of explosives (human rights defenders consider these charges unproven), as well as attempted murder and incitement to hatred (we have no grounds to consider these charges politically motivated). On 31 May 2017, Afanasev was sentenced to 12 and a half years' imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony. On 31 January 2018, the appeal court terminated Afanasev's prosecution on the charge of participation in the activities of an extremist organisation due to the expiration of the statute of limitations and reclassified the charge from illegal manufacture of explosives to illegal manufacture of weapons. Under this article Afanasyev was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment and released from execution. On the remaining articles he was given a final sentence of 10 years' imprisonment. In December 2024, it became known that a new case was brought against Afanasev - on facilitation of terrorist activities. In February 2025, it was reported that Afanasev was also accused of mercenarism in 2014-2015 for participation in combat actions on the side of Ukraine. In September 2025, Afanasev's lawyer said that he was placed in a cell with convicted war participants who threatened to "break his backbone". In December 2025, Afanasev's lawyer said that a Federal Penitentiary Service officer gave him a blade in the pre-trial detention centre and advised him to "be a man", after which Afanasev attempted to open his veins. On 2 February 2026, Afanasev was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment in a strict regime penal colony in a case of terrorism facilitation and mercenarism.