Report on Human Rights Violations in Ingria
July 2026
2 July: The case of a Petersburg resident detained at the end of June was reclassified as terrorism
The Petrogradsky District Court of Saint Petersburg reclassified the case of a young man detained at the end of June as terrorism.
20-year-old resident of Ingermanland (Saint Petersburg) Aleksandr Bigulov, a programmer by profession, was arrested at the end of June 2026. Apparently, Bigulov was initially detained for 6 days and only an administrative offence protocol under the article on petty hooliganism was drawn up against him.
After serving the punishment, on 2 July 2026, according to a statement by the joint press service of the courts of Petersburg, a criminal case was opened against Bigulov for assisting terrorist activity (Part 3 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This was reported on 3 July on the official channel of the joint press service of the courts of Petersburg.
The grounds for the accusation of assisting in the planning and commission of a terrorist act were photographs that he had allegedly sent to “Ukrainian handlers,” which he had taken on 11 May 2026 in the parking lot of the defence enterprise NPO “Impuls.” The Dzerzhinsky District Court of Petersburg ordered Aleksandr to be held in custody until 1 September 2026.
Links: https://memopzk.org/figurant/bigulov-aleksandr-arturovich/
https://t.me/SPbGS/23907
https://mr-7.ru/articles/2026/07/03/peterburgskogo-programmista-arestovali-po-delu-o-sodeistvii-terroristicheskoi-deiatelnosti-news
https://enbv.org/person/aleksandr-bigulov
9 July: Ariadna Litvinova was deported from Turkey to Saint Petersburg
Anti-war activist Ariadna Litvinova was deported from Turkey due to problems with documents and was taken into custody upon arrival in Russia.
A criminal case was opened against her there for the fact that at the propaganda exhibition “Together to Victory” on Palace Square in Saint Petersburg she had painted inscriptions on the exhibition stands: “Murderers,” “Peace to Ukraine,” “Freedom for political prisoners.”
Initially a case “for vandalism” was opened against her, and after a fine and a month in a pre-trial detention centre she was released under a ban on certain actions. It was precisely then that her biological father, Valery Kryzhanovsky, invited her to come to him in Turkey, where he had already been living for several years with his new Turkish wife.
However, relations with her father did not work out. “In Turkey after the earthquake the economy is bad, inflation and all that. We don’t have much money. And it turns out we have an extra mouth to feed. She is a fairly large girl and ate a lot,” Ariadna’s father explained to a BBC journalist.
He wanted Ariadna to go somewhere to work and earn money. Although at that time he himself was not working, because “the economy is bad.” He also wanted to marry Ariadna off to a wealthy Kurd. She categorically refused and also did not find a job. During the conflict Valery Kryzhanovsky called the police, after which Ariadna was sent to a deportation prison and deported to Russia. Upon arrival the girl was immediately detained.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c70ygd99529o
9 July: The director of a city-protection foundation was arrested for displaying prohibited symbols
On 10 July it became known about the detention of the director of the city-protection foundation “Goloday” Oleg Mukhin. The court sentenced the city defender to 10 days of administrative arrest under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (display of extremist symbols).
The grounds for the detention of the city defender were links to the social network Instagram, which is banned in the Russian Federation, that had been published several years earlier on the activist’s personal page on the social network VKontakte.
Oleg was arrested on 9 July and taken from a suburb of Saint Petersburg to the 76th police department, where he spent the whole night.
Mukhin’s activities were connected with active campaigning against the demolition of cultural heritage sites in Petersburg, as well as against the widely discussed construction of Gazprom skyscrapers in Lakhta. Despite the fact that Mukhin was not going to nominate his candidacy in the elections, he fell under the same series of arrests on similar grounds of “display of extremist symbols” as other persons who had nominated their candidacies in the local elections.
Link: https://www.rbc.ru/spb_sz/10/07/2026/6a50e8149a7947bbfcf23774
A candidate for deputy was detained for publishing prohibited symbols
The Smolninsky District Court of Petersburg brought charges against the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction Ivan Apostolevsky.
The candidate for deputy detained on 9 July spent the night in a police station. The grounds for the 10-day arrest was a link to the social network Instagram, which is banned in the Russian Federation, that he had posted in 2018 on his page on VKontakte.
“I have been a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation since 2014, we do not support extremist organisations. <…> I have been nominated as a candidate. I consider this to be politically motivated pressure on a candidate,” Ivan Apostolevsky stated in court. Despite Apostolevsky’s acquittal, the accusation under Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences prohibits participation in elections for a period of one year.
Links: https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/07/10/76527271/
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8812970
12 July: Environmental supervision for the Lomonosovsky District of Saint Petersburg identified violations at a scotch-tape production facility in the village of Maloye Karlino
It became known that the investigation was initiated by complaints from local residents who complained about an acrid smell coming from the enterprise producing adhesive tapes LLC “Fregat Group.”
Inspectors of the Committee for State Environmental Supervision who went to the scene on 9 July recorded violations at the address of the scotch-tape production in the village of Maloye Karlino.
As a result of the inspection, environmental supervision identified “shortcomings in the organisation of work to comply with environmental legislation.” At present the authorities assure that the situation is under the control of the agency. Whether this is actually the case, and what exactly was being produced at the enterprise “with an acrid smell,” is currently unknown.
Link: https://lentv24.ru/ekonadzor-vyyavil-naruseniya-na-zavode-po-proizvodstvu-skotca-v-malom-karlino.htm
14 July: A city defender elected to the Legislative Assembly of Petersburg was detained for 10 days
The Leninsky District Court of Saint Petersburg imposed a measure of detention of 10 days under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (for display of extremist symbols) on the local city-protection activist Yaroslav Kostrov, who was running for the Legislative Assembly of Petersburg from the party “A Just Russia.”
The grounds for the detention were hyperlinks five years old to the social networks Facebook and Instagram (companies of Meta), which are recognised as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation.
According to Kostrov’s statement, he is convinced that a deliberately discrediting policy is being conducted against him to remove him from the elections. On 14 July the candidate for deputy planned to submit the documents necessary for participation in the elections, since on the 13th his candidacy had been certified in the preliminary lists of participants, but registration had not been completed.
Link: https://www.rbc.ru/spb_sz/14/07/2026/6a560ecd9a7947f15ec51a4d?utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/
Pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo was detained under a political article
The blogger Ilya Remeslo, known for his support of the authorities currently in power in Russia and for denunciations against the opposition, was detained in Saint Petersburg. An investigation against Remeslo has been opened within the framework of a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation motivated by political hatred).
Earlier, in March 2026, the blogger, known for his absolute loyalty to the authorities currently in power in the Russian Federation, published criticism regarding military actions and addressed to the current president V.V. Putin, which, in the opinion of opposition journalists, became the reason for placing Ilya Remeslo in a psychiatric hospital and has now resulted in criminal prosecution.
Link: https://www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2026/07/17/28916749.shtml
21 July: Arrest in a case of fakes about the Armed Forces of Russia for a comment from three years ago
On 21 July the arrest was carried out of Petersburg resident Andrei Panin on charges of disseminating fakes about the Armed Forces of Russia committed motivated by political hatred or enmity (Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code).
The Petrogradsky District Court ordered that Panin be placed in a pre-trial detention centre at least until 7 September 2026. According to a report by the joint press service of the courts of Petersburg, the investigation recorded that in the period from 19 to 20 August 2023 Andrei Panin published knowingly false information about the actions of the Russian army and the work of state bodies outside the country, which he presented “under the guise of reliable information.” The investigation also assessed Panin’s actions as the dissemination of information motivated by political, ideological, national or other hatred.
The man faces imprisonment for a term of from 5 to 10 years or a fine in the amount of from 3 to 5 million roubles. According to information from Memorial PZK, in Panin’s case card there is a fine of 2,000 roubles dated 22 September 2025 under Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation for statements in the chat of one of the Telegram channels:
“F**k it, I have always been for Ukraine and its freedom from the tyranny of the ‘Russian world.’ Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes!”
According to data from the Joint Press Service of the Courts of Saint Petersburg, a measure of detention until 07.09.2026 has been assigned to Panin.
Links: https://pgr.spb.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=sud_delo&srv_num=1&name_op=case&case_id=900591657&case_uid=74af1650-0409-42a5-bed7-62167865d9a6&delo_id=1500001
https://memopzk.org/news/v-peterburge-otpravili-v-sizo-obvinyaemogo-v-rasprostranenii-voennyh-fejkov/
https://www.zaks.ru/new/archive/view/267795
https://t.me/SPbGS/24048
22 July: Detention of a “Ukrainian agent” in the Petersburg metro
On 22 July a young man, a programmer by profession, was detained in the Petersburg metro with a GPS tracker.
According to available data, a 21-year-old Russian citizen was detained who intended to carry out unlawful actions of a terrorist nature on the instructions of Ukraine. Details of the case are unknown.
Links: https://www.dp.ru/a/2026/07/22/v-metro-peterburga-zaderzhali
https://www.dp.ru/a/2026/07/31/fsb-zaderzhala-razvedchika-artpodgotovki
26 July: Security forces plan to conduct raids against informal teenagers
As became known on 26 July from the Telegram channel “Caution, Petersburg,” which refers to a “report of a specialised commission,” the Centre “E” and the state social centre “Kontakt” plan to conduct raids against “radically minded youth” with the aim of identifying its most active representatives. The security forces will determine potential targets visually, by attributes in clothing.
In addition to the state social centre “Kontakt,” representatives of the Centre for Countering Extremism of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Petersburg and Leningrad Region (Centre “E”) will also take part in the round-up.
27 July: Two citizens of Kazakhstan were sentenced for setting fire to a cellular communication tower in Leningrad Region
On 27 July information appeared on the website of the Prosecutor’s Office of Leningrad Region about the delivery of a sentence in respect of two citizens of Kazakhstan who had set fire to a switchboard near a cellular communication tower in the Lomonosovsky District of Leningrad Region. 19-year-old David Arakelyan and 20-year-old Danil Nurmukhambetov were found guilty under the article on sabotage committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (point “a” of Part 2 of Article 281 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
The court recognised the purpose of the act committed as an act aimed at “undermining the economic security and defence capability of Russia” and sentenced both to 12 years in a strict-regime colony. For comparison, for the murder of a person in the Russian Federation a sentence of from 6 years’ imprisonment is imposed. The disproportion of the punishment for an act that led neither to death nor to harm to the health of citizens, but only to economic damage for a cellular communication company, is obvious.
Links: https://epp.genproc.gov.ru/ru/proc_47/mass-media/news/main/e8593863/
https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/07/27/76555769/
28 July: The publication “Novoye Vremya” drew attention to the absence of communication with political prisoner Andrei Trofimov
There has been no contact with political prisoner Andrei Trofimov since mid-April. The 59-year-old activist is serving 13 years in a strict-regime colony – Correctional Colony No. 9 in Petrozavodsk (Trofimov was charged under the articles “fakes about the army,” “calls to extremism,” and with the intention of joining the “Freedom of Russia” legion). He does not reply to letters, he has not been brought out to lawyers, and a relative was not allowed a visit. Friends of Trofimov do not believe the assertions of the colony administration that he himself refused communication. They are also worried about his health: the prisoner has diabetes and high blood pressure, and his relatives do not know whether he is receiving medication.
Link: https://www.currenttime.tv/a/politzek-trofimov/33813827.html
29 July: The son of political prisoner Belousov was sentenced following his father
The 1st Western District Military Court for the city of Saint Petersburg delivered a sentence in respect of Daniil Belousov. Daniil is the son of Oleg Belousov, who in 2023 was sentenced to 5.5 years’ imprisonment in a case of “military fakes.” The trial was held behind closed doors and as a result of the judicial process 25-year-old Daniil Belousov was sentenced to seven years in a general-regime colony out of the nine requested by the prosecutor.
The man was charged with four episodes of justification of terrorism. The grounds for the initiation of the criminal case were Daniil’s messages in the open chat “No to War,” where he posted photographs from a rally in support of Ukraine.
As evidence it was cited that Belousov junior had been an administrator of the project “Media Partisans,” which had been recognised as a “foreign agent.” The fact that Daniil Belousov has a childhood disability and requires constant care did not affect the court’s decision.
Link: https://www.currenttime.tv/a/syn-politzaklyuchennogo-olega-belousova-sem-let-kolonii/33817749.html
“Yabloko” will appeal its removal from the elections
The party “Yabloko,” which is participating in elections in 8 regions of Russia, is to be removed from the elections. The party declared its participation in the elections for: Saint Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, Pskov, Sverdlovsk, Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Leningrad and Moscow Regions, as well as for Lipetsk Region and Altai Krai.
As the grounds for removing the candidates of “Yabloko” the Petersburg election commission indicated “documents necessary for the registration of the party submitted to the commission in an untimely manner,” this is stated on the official website of the party. “Yabloko” plans to appeal the non-admission of candidates for the city on the Neva in the Saint Petersburg City Court.
Link: https://enbv.org/person?circumstances=несовершеннолетний/яя
31 July: The Russian Federation confiscated more than a hundred real-estate objects from the “Jehovah’s Witnesses”
On 31 July the Kuzminsky District Court of Moscow transferred into state ownership the real-estate property of the religious organisation “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” which has been recognised as extremist in Russia. This was reported on Friday by the press service of the capital’s courts of general jurisdiction. The mentioned plots and objects are located in Leningrad Region. In 2017, 16 real-estate objects of the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” in the settlement of Solnechnoye on the shore of the Gulf of Finland in the Kurortny District of Petersburg had already been alienated in favour of the Russian Federation.