Monthly Report on Human Rights violations in the Altay Republic
December 2025
In December, repression of local activists continued in the Altai Republic. It is also important to note the worsening process of government degradation, with local elected, authoritative leaders quickly being removed, and their positions in administrations and governance structures being filled with veterans of military aggression.
Altai protest leader’s health deteriorated in pretrial detention
Altai protest activist Aruna, who was arrested “for justifying terrorism,” suffered an asthma attack. Her mother wrote about this on Telegram on December 16 (https://t.me/sohranim_altai/893).
As a reminder, Aruna Arna was arrested more than two months ago and placed in pretrial detention despite being a mother of many children and breastfeeding her infant. According to Aruna Arna, a criminal case was opened against her for posting two century-old songs, “The Internationale” and “Varshavyanka,” on her Telegram channel.
https://t.me/rusnews/75674
https://ovd.info/express-news/2025/12/17/u-altayskoy-aktivistki-aruny-arna-sluchilsya-pristup-astmy-v-sizo
We would like to remind government officials of Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that all persons deprived of their liberty have the right to humane treatment and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
War veterans are being recruited into government positions
On December 9, a meeting of the Altai regional government, chaired by Andrei Turchak, decided to recruit a second group of veterans of the Russo-Ukrainian War seeking authorities positions in the Altai Republic.
According to Turchak, there is “enormous demand” for the program, and many more classes are planned. This summer, 53 combat veterans were enrolled in the first such class.
https://tolknews.ru/respaltay/obsestvo/206452-vtoroy-nabor-uchastnikov-v-kadrovuyu-programmu-geroi-altaya-nachnetsya-v-godu
https://semnasem.org/articles/2025/12/16/geroi-novosibiri
A combat veteran in Ukraine killed his partner’s brother
Meanwhile, in the Altai Republic, combat veterans in Ukraine continue to commit brutal, violent crimes as a result of personality disorders. As Mediazona reported on December 29, the latest crime occurred in the village of Ust-Kan, where veteran Alexander Badakin stabbed his partner’s brother to death with a kitchen knife, after beating her the day before.
In 2023, Badakin, previously convicted of rape and axe assault, signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. He was released, and his convictions were expunged, thus depriving the victim of a fair trial. In 2024, Badakin received a medal “for bravery” and subsequently returned to the Altai Republic as a “hero.”
https://zona.media/news/2025/12/29/badakin