Stories of underage political prisoners
01.05.2026
At our rally we told 15 stories. Stories of minors, children, who are being persecuted by the Russian state because of the war in Ukraine.
Most of them are subjected to pressure, ill-treatment and torture, coerced into confessing guilt, and denied proper legal assistance, while human rights defenders are unable to access the documents of their criminal cases.
Only one of the subjects of our stories has been recognized as a political prisoner. These young people hold different political views and have used different methods of action. But they share one thing in common: were it not for the Russian political regime and the war, they would all be free.
One day all these criminal cases will be dropped or reviewed. Our task is to ensure that not a single name is lost — that the world knows about each and every one of them.
Background note. All of our heroes have been listed by Rosfinmonitoring — Russia's federal financial intelligence service. This means they have been officially designated as "terrorists or extremists" by the Russian state, with all their assets frozen and severe restrictions imposed on their bank accounts — including those of their family members.
Kolesnichenko Danil Alekseevich
Born: April 12, 2010. 14 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Altai Republic
Charges: Terrorism
Case categories: War-related, Terrorism, High Treason
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on April 10, 2025
In the Altai Krai, no later than April 2025, 23-year-old Sergey Gostyukhin, 25-year-old Alexander Shavrin, and 14-year-old Danil Kolesnichenko were detained. All three were accused of committing a terrorist act as part of a group of persons, and Gostyukhin and Shavrin were also accused of treason. The details of the charges are unknown.
The defendants in the case were placed in custody.
Kushchenko Egor Maksimovich
Born February 17, 2010. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Novosibirsk Oblast
Detention date: January 15, 2026
Charges: Sabotage
Case categories: War-related, Arson
Rosfinmonitoring status: Listed on February 5, 2026
In the city of Kuybyshev, Novosibirsk Oblast, no later than January 2026, three local residents were detained - Anastasia Novoselova, Victoria Malkerova, and 15-year-old Egor Kkushchenko. They were accused of committing sabotage by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. According to the investigation, on January 10, 2026, the young people set fire to the equipment of a cellular base station of PJSC Beeline. On January 15, 2026, the Kuybyshev District Court of Novosibirsk Oblast chose detention as a preventive measure for all three defendants.
Kharkovskiy Lev Mikhaylovich
Born February 26, 2010. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Udmurt Republic
Charges: Attempted terrorism
Case categories: War-related
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on September 17, 2025
In Izhevsk, in August 2025, three teenagers were detained — Lev Kharkovskiy, Nikita Temnikov, and Stanislav Perevoshchikov. They were charged with attempted terrorism committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
According to the investigators, between July and August 2025 the teenagers made contact with a person coordinated by Ukrainian intelligence services, from whom they received an assignment to carry out a terrorist act — an explosion or arson — at one of Izhevsk's defence industry facilities. The stated aim of the operation was to intimidate the population, destabilize the activities of the authorities, and pressure them into ending the "special military operation". During a staged operational experiment, FSB officers handed the teenagers a mock explosive device, which they believed to be real.
On August 15, 2025, the Industrial District Court of Izhevsk remanded the defendants in pre-trial detention.
Umakhanov Ismail Alievich
Born January 13, 2010. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
Charges: Terrorism (preparation and training for terrorist activities)
Case categories: War-related, Terrorism
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on July 21, 2025
In the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, no later than May 2025, two 15-year-old local residents, Ismail Umakhanov and Tamerlan Shosukov, were detained. They were accused of preparing to commit a terrorist act by a group of persons by prior conspiracy and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities. According to the investigation, from June 2024 to May 2025, the teenagers, being supporters of a terrorist organization banned in Russia, studied specialized literature and instructions in a closed Telegram channel. In May 2025 in Mozdok they acquired components for the manufacture of a homemade explosive device, which they stored in their places of residence with the aim of subsequently carrying out a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers. At the request of the investigation, the defendants in the case were remanded in custody.
Morgunov Ilya Alekseevich
Born November 11, 2009. 16 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Irkutsk Oblast
Detention date: February 14, 2025
Charges: Terrorism (carrying out a terrorist act)
Case categories: War-related, Arson
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on February 5, 2026
In Angarsk, Irkutsk Oblast, in February 2025, searches were conducted at the homes of two underage local residents - 17-year-old Maksim Mungolov and 16-year-old Ilya Morgunov. OMON burst into their apartments, after which the teenagers were forced on video to confess that they had committed arson for which they were allegedly promised $300, but in the end they were not paid. The Angarsk residents were accused of committing a terrorist act by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. According to law enforcement, in January 2025, Mungalov and Morgunov threw bottles with an incendiary mixture onto the territory of a local military unit, trying to set fire to military trucks. As a result of their actions, no equipment or military personnel were injured. According to the investigation, the teenagers were also searching for other military facilities and transport infrastructure objects to commit arson. According to the FSB, they were acting on behalf of the Ukrainian special services. The court placed the defendants in the case in the SIZO.
Shoshukov Tamerlan Dmitrievich
Born August 11, 2009. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
Charges: Terrorism (preparation and training for terrorist activities)
Case categories: War-related, Terrorism
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on July 21, 2025
In the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, no later than May 2025, two 15-year-old local residents, Ismail Umakhanov and Tamerlan Shosukov, were detained. They were accused of preparing to commit a terrorist act by a group of persons by prior conspiracy and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities.
According to the investigation, from June 2024 to May 2025, the teenagers, being supporters of a terrorist organization banned in Russia, studied specialized literature and instructions in a closed Telegram channel. In May 2025 in Mozdok they acquired components for the manufacture of a homemade explosive device, which they stored in their places of residence with the aim of subsequently carrying out a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers.
At the request of the investigation, the defendants in the case were remanded in custody.
Mikhulya Yaroslav Albertovich
Born August 6, 2009. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Krasnodar Krai
Detention date: May 9, 2025
Charges: Terrorism (carrying out a terrorist act as part of a group)
Case categories: War-related, Arson
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on July 17, 2025
In Krasnodar Krai, in May 2025, two underage local residents were detained — 14-year-old Timofey Slipchenko and 15-year-old Yaroslav Mikhul. They were charged with attempted terrorism committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
According to the investigation, on May 8, 2025, Yaroslav offered Slipchenko some extra cash: the teenagers went to a railway line near Rostovskoe Highway, where Yaroslav, carrying a traumatic pistol, forced Slipchenko to film the arson of an electrical transformer box on video. The teenagers' parents insist that their children had no political motives and were victims of fraudsters.
Pakhomov Zakhar Olegovich
Born February 17, 2009. 16 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Kemerovo Oblast
Detention date: December 25, 2025
Charges: Public justification of terrorism (online)
Case categories: Freedom of speech
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on December 29, 2025
In Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast, in December 2025, local 16-year-old resident Zakhar Pakhomov was detained.
He was accused of public calls for terrorist activity, as well as public justification and propaganda of terrorism using the Internet.
According to the investigation, Pakhomov posted messages in one of the messengers that contained calls for mass armed uprising against the existing political power in Russia.
No later than December 25, 2025, the Myskovsky City Court of the Kemerovo Region placed a minor in custody.
Sergeev Dmitriy Georgievich
Born December 25, 2008. 14 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Moscow
Detention date: November 1, 2023
Charges: Preparation for a terrorist act
Sentence: 6 years in a juvenile correctional colony
Estimated release date: September 9, 2031
Case categories: Terrorism
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on April 15, 2024
On November 1, 2023, in Moscow, 16-year-old Mikhail Demin, a student at the Synergy College, 17-year-old Artem Polyakov, a first-year student at the Russian Technological University, and 15-year-old Dmitry Sergeev, an eighth-grader, were detained.
The teenagers were accused of attempting a terrorist act as part of a group of persons by prior conspiracy. The young people allegedly planned to carry out an explosion in one of the buildings of the student dormitory of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia with the aim of "intimidating the population" and "causing property damage." It is claimed that during a search in a garage, security forces found camouflage uniforms, berets, and chevrons with Nazi symbols, cartridges, as well as a set of chemical substances for making a homemade bomb.
According to the security forces' version, in mid-October 2023, Mikhail Demin decided to carry out an explosion. He shared his idea in a closed Telegram chat, which was supported by Artem Polyakov and Dmitry Sergeev. Artem and Dmitry were supposed to observe the RUDN dormitory and the students living in it, as well as find a place to plant explosives. Mikhail was supposed to purchase chemical substances and prepare components for its manufacture.
During interrogations, the defendants claimed that they indeed experimented with homemade explosives but did not intend to attack the dormitory. They called the discussion of the explosion in the chat a joke.
On November 2, 2023, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow sent the teenagers to a pre-trial detention center.
Later, another defendant appeared in the investigation - 17-year-old Dmitry Vovk, a second-year student at the RTU MIREA.
On September 11, 2025, the 2nd Western Military Circuit Court found the defendants guilty and sentenced Mikhail Demin to 9 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony and a fine of 40 thousand rubles, Artem Polyakov to 7.5 years of general regime, Dmitry Vovk to 7 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony, and Dmitry Sergeev to 6 years of imprisonment with serving in an educational colony. Dmitry was taken into custody in the courtroom.
Palyanov Kirill Gennadevich
Born July 17, 2009. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Tyumen Oblast
Detention date: December 21, 2024
Charges: Terrorism (carrying out a terrorist act)
Case categories: War-related, Arson
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on January 14, 2025
Unknown individuals set fire to a snow-clearing railway machine in Tobolsk on December 21, 2024. The arson occurred around 18:00 local time at the RZD base on the outskirts of the city.
On December 24, 2024, the FSB reported the arrest of three schoolchildren - 15-year-old ninth-graders Kirill Palyanov, Dmitry Kayugin, and a fifth-grader named Matvey, whose last name was not disclosed - on charges of arson. The ninth-graders were charged with committing a terrorist act by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
According to the investigation, on December 21, 2024, the teenagers set fire to a snow-clearing machine at the RZD base in Tobolsk on the orders of an unknown person from a messenger app who promised them money. Equipment they failed to set on fire was doused with white paint.
Palyanov and Kayugin were placed in a temporary detention facility. Fifth-grader Matvey, as a minor not subject to criminal liability, was sent to a temporary detention center for juvenile offenders in Tyumen.
Kazintsev Ilya Borisovich
Born December 3, 2008. 16 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Kursk Oblast
Detention date: January 10, 2025
Charges: Terrorism (carrying out a terrorist act as part of a group)
Case categories: Terrorism
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on March 27, 2025
In Kursk, around 8 a.m. on January 10, 2025, a 16-year-old teenager, Ilya Kazintsev, came to school No. 54 with a hammer. Before entering, a young man wearing a balaclava and a hat broke the glass of a parked car, after which he broke into the building, hitting the entrance door with a hammer. The guard on duty pressed the alarm button but did not stop the teenager, after which he broke a window in the corridor and ran back out onto the street. At the entrance to the building, he left a bag with two knives and a bottle of liquid for lighting. No one was injured as a result of the incident.
Four minutes after the alarm went off at the school, a crew from the National Guard's private security company arrived. They detained the teenager 4 km away on the territory of the SNT 'Michurinets'.
According to reports, the cause of the attack could have been complicated relations with one of the students. Despite this, a criminal case was opened against Kazintsev for attempted terrorist attack. Teenager placed in custody.
Zaytsev Valeriy Andreevich
Recognized as a political prisoner by the project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"
Born November 1, 2008. 14 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Khabarovsk Krai
Detention date: October 12, 2023
Charges: Public justification of terrorism and training for terrorist activities (online)
Sentence: 4 years and 6 months in a juvenile correctional colony
Estimated release date: April 9, 2028
Case categories: War-related, "Azov"
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on May 15, 2024
On October 12, 2023, in the village of Solnechny and in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, two friends were detained — 14-year-old schoolboy Valery Zaytsev and his 18-year-old student Nikita Turlayev. Nikita was detained in the dormitory of the local college where he studied, while law enforcement officers came directly to the tuberculosis dispensary where Valery was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis.
Nikita, who was an adult, was accused of calling for terrorism, while Valery, who was a minor, was accused of undergoing training for the purpose of preparing for a terrorist attack. Subsequently, both boys were charged with justifying terrorism and undergoing training for the purpose of preparing for a terrorist attack.
Alexander Zaitsev and Turlaev were criminally prosecuted because of a video posted on a Telegram channel showing teenagers throwing Molotov cocktails at the wall of an abandoned building. According to the investigation, Nikita administered "groups and chats" on Telegram and VKontakte, propagating the ideology of the Azov battalion, while 14-year-old Valery "engaged in practical activities and also supported Azov.
The court sent both defendants in the case to a pre-trial detention center.
On August 16, 2024, the 1st Eastern Military District Court found Valery Zaitsev guilty and sentenced him to 4.5 years of imprisonment in a corrective colony. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.
On November 13, 2024, the 1st Eastern Military District Court found Nikita Turlaev guilty and sentenced him to 11 years in a strict regime colony, the first 3 years in prison.
On March 10, 2025, the Appellate Military Court left Turlaev's sentence unchanged.
Valera Zaytsev was raised by his grandparents: his mother had been stripped of parental rights and his father had passed away. The family lives in the settlement of Solnechny in Khabarovsk Krai.
At the time of his arrest the teenager was 14 years old and was studying in ninth grade — which he completed while in pre-trial detention, with school teachers coming to give him lessons. His classmates recalled that the teenager had spoken out in support of Ukraine and talked about his Ukrainian roots. His grandmother also said that after the start of the full-scale war Valera "kept going on and on about Ukraine."
The FSB detained Valeriy directly in the tuberculosis clinic where he was receiving treatment. The court found the teenager guilty of training for terrorism and participation in a terrorist organization (the Azov battalion) and sentenced him to 4.5 years in a correctional colony.
The case was built on the correspondence between the schoolboy and a classified witness. The case also includes a video showing teenagers throwing Molotov cocktails at the wall of an abandoned building. Valerij's grandmother believes the video was filmed by a provocateur who later testified at the trial as a secret witness. "The provocateurs brought the petrol, showed them how to do it, and Valerka went and posted it."
Chalov Vladimir Kirillovich
Born August 11, 2008. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Moscow Oblast
Detention date: February 19, 2024
Charges: Terrorism (specific part of the article unknown)
Sentence: 5 years and 5 days in a general regime correctional colony
Estimated release date: July 8, 2029
Case categories: War-related, Arson
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on December 4, 2024
On February 16, 2024, in Dolgoprudny, Moscow Oblast, an unknown person threw a bottle with an incendiary mixture onto the porch of the public reception office of the United Russia party and then fled. The fire was small, so passersby extinguished it. No damage was caused to the party office.
On February 19, 15-year-old student of the 'Golden Key' educational center Vladimir Chalov was detained on charges of arson. It is claimed that the teenager filmed his actions on his phone himself. On video, before throwing the bottle, he says: "Freedom for Russia." 2. This is my choice. In addition, he recorded a video message in a mask, where he changed his voice and introduced himself as "Ivan Bezlikiy" (Ivan Faceless)." Speaking against the backdrop of the white-blue-white flag used by the opposition, he explained his actions as revenge for Navalny's death.
A criminal case was opened against the minor for "teppism" committed on the grounds of political hatred. Deputy Secretary of the Moscow Regional Branch of United Russia Denis Perepelitsyn stated that "the party regards arson as an act of terrorism.
No information was provided about the choice of a preventive measure.
Later, the charges were reclassified to destruction of another's property by a dangerous method, and another episode of arson was added, which the investigation qualified as a terrorist act committed by a group of persons. Also detained Nikita Rusanov, 19 years old. He was accused of incitement to terrorism. Details are unknown.
On May 28, 2025, the 2nd Western Military District Court found the defendants guilty and sentenced Vladimir Chalov to 5 years and 5 days in prison in a general regime colony. Nikita Rusanov's sentence is unknown.
27 October 2025, the Appellate Military Court changed Rusanov's sentence, details are also unknown, the sentence to Chalov was left unchanged.
Shokol Oleg Oleksandrovich
Born August 5, 2008. 15 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Detention date: October 30, 2023
Charges: Terrorism and sabotage (preparation and commission of a terrorist act as part of a group), Illegal possession of explosives, Sabotage as part of a group
Sentence: 7 years and 6 months in a general regime correctional colony
Estimated release date: May 1, 2031
Case categories: War-related, Occupied territories, Civil hostage, Terrorism
In Melitopol, in the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in late October 2023, two underage Ukrainian citizens were abducted — 16-year-old Denis Vasilik and 17-year-old Oleg Shokol.
On October 31 of the same year, 16-year-old Viktor Azarovskiy was abducted. According to neighbours, the child was pushed into a bus by unknown individuals dressed in black, wearing masks and balaclavas. Shortly afterwards, witnesses saw Viktor near the city's Russian police department in the occupied zone. He was exhausted, frightened, and bore signs of beatings and bruising.
It is known that the teenagers were held in a pre-trial detention centre in Melitopol, then transferred to Remand Prison No. 2 in Mariupol, and from there escorted to Remand Prison No. 2 in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast. The teenagers were charged with preparation for a terrorist act by an organised group, sabotage, and the illegal manufacture and storage of explosives.
According to the Russian investigation, after January 2023 the teenagers joined a terrorist network created in the interests of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). In January 2023 they participated in preparing an assassination attempt against the deputy head of the police department for Melitopol and Melitopol district, conducting surveillance of his movements. In March of the same year, one of the defendants received an assignment and manufactured an explosive device intended to blow up a railway infrastructure facility. The investigation also charges them with preparing an assassination attempt against the chairman of the regional branch of the "Movement of the First" in June 2023, and with surveilling the "Zurbagan" café, frequented by Russian military personnel, in August 2023.
Human rights defenders state that the case is fabricated and that the teenagers gave their confessions under torture. According to the defence, during searches of the teenagers' belongings their devices were seized, but no incriminating evidence was found on them.
On March 19, 2026, the Southern District Military Court found the defendants guilty and sentenced Viktor Azarovskiy to 8.5 years in a general regime correctional colony with a fine of 40,000 roubles, Denis Vasilik to 7 years in a general regime correctional colony with a fine of 25,000 roubles, and Oleg Shokol to 7.5 years in a general regime correctional colony with a fine of 25,000 roubles.
Bagrova Eva Vladislavovna
Born May 3, 2008. 16 years old at the time of detention.
Region of case initiation: Saint Petersburg
Detention date: December 26, 2024
Charges: Public justification of terrorism and facilitation of terrorist activities
Sentence: 4 years in a juvenile correctional colony
Estimated release date: December 26, 2028
Case categories: Anti-war, Freedom of speech, RDK*
Rosfinmonitoring status: Added on February 19, 2025
In St. Petersburg, in the Kirovsky district of the city on December 26, 2024, unknown individuals hung two photographs of the founder and member of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" Denis Kapustin and Alexey Levkin in the lobby of an educational center. Someone added the caption "Honored Hero of Russia" to both photos. The police detained the deputy director for educational work, but the woman categorically denied any involvement and claimed that she did not know who did it.
27 December 2024 in the evening in the Vyborgsky district of St. Petersburg, FSB operatives detained 16-year-old schoolgirl Eva Bagrova. She spent the night in a temporary detention facility. The next day, she was charged with publicly justifying and promoting terrorism.
29 December 2024, the Kirovsky District Court of St. Petersburg sent the case's defendant to a remand prison. At the end of March 2025, she was released from custody and placed under house arrest.
Later, an article on aiding terrorism was added to the charges."
On October 13, 2025, the 1st Western Military District Court found Eva Bagrova guilty and sentenced her to 4 years in a juvenile correctional colony. The girl was taken into custody in the courtroom.