Report on Human Rights Violations in the Republic of Ingria
August 2026
3 August: The youngest person on the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists
According to Rosfinmonitoring, the youngest “terrorist and extremist” turned out to be 14-year-old St. Petersburg resident Viktor Kalinin.
The criminal case against the young man that led to his inclusion in the list of terrorists and extremists has not been disclosed, but journalists suggest it may concern the arson of a railway relay cabinet in early July of this year.
https://www.currenttime.tv/a/samyy-molodoy-ekstremist-i-terrorist-v-rossii/33821086.html
https://www.svoboda.org/a/shkoljnika-iz-peterburga-vnesli-v-perechenj-terroristov-i-ekstremistov/33821079.html
https://www.facebook.com/TheInsiderRussia/posts/14-летнего-подростка-внесли-в-список-террористов-и-экстремистов-это-самый-молодо/1443625301117662/
6 August: Lawsuit against the St. Petersburg Electoral Commission
The St. Petersburg City Court registered an administrative lawsuit filed by Elena Belyaeva challenging a decision of the St. Petersburg Electoral Commission concerning the “A Just Russia” party.
Belyaeva insists that her exclusion from the list of candidates for the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg of the 8th convocation by the decision of the St. Petersburg Electoral Commission (SPbIK) dated 24 July 2026 is unlawful. The list was nominated by the electoral association “Socialist Political Party A Just Russia” in the single electoral district.
“According to the plaintiff, the commission arbitrarily changed the legal qualification of the party’s actions. Instead of recognising the fact that previously submitted information about individual candidates and copies of their documents had been replaced (on 22 July 2026), the commission treated this as the introduction of additions to the already existing documents of candidate Belyaeva,” the Joint Press Service of the St. Petersburg Courts reported.
In Vyborg, the head of the Mormons was detained for transferring funds to an “extremist community”
In Vyborg, the 74-year-old head of the regional branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was arrested. Businessman Valentin Vladimirovich Gavrilov has headed the religious association since January 2022 and previously served as general director of a company producing wooden structures.
“The police investigation opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activity, punishable by up to eight years’ imprisonment — Ed.),” the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region reported.
The head of the church himself describes the transfer of funds as an accident.
https://www.dp.ru/a/2026/08/06/lidera-mormonov-viborga-zaderzhali
Hearing in the case of Ariadna Litvinova postponed due to the lawyer’s absence
The Kuibyshevsky District Court of St. Petersburg postponed the hearing in the case of Ariadna Litvinova because of the absence of the defendant’s lawyer.
Ariadna Litvinova was deported from Turkey to Russia in July 2026 for exceeding the permitted period of stay and was detained immediately upon arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.
Despite the absence of a lawyer, Litvinova was brought to court, where the convoy prevented journalists from approaching or filming her. The only thing Ariadna managed to say to journalists as the convoy led her along the court corridor was: “Thank you, everyone!”
The young woman had been placed on the wanted list after she left Russia in connection with administrative charges of “discrediting” the army and a vandalism case. She is currently being held in the St. Petersburg pre-trial detention centre “Arsenalka.”
https://t.me/s/politzekinfo?q=петербург
https://t.me/s/politzekinfo?q=петербург#:~:text=Конвой%20не%20позволял-,журналистам,-приблизиться%20к%20обвиняемой (video)
8 August: The wife of Alexander Nevzorov was arrested in absentia
The Primorsky District Court of St. Petersburg ordered the arrest in absentia of Lidia Nevzorova. Lidia Nevzorova is the wife of journalist Alexander Nevzorov, who has been designated a foreign agent in Russia. Like her husband, Lidia has been included in the Rosfinmonitoring list as a terrorist and extremist and is also regarded as a member of an extremist community banned in Russia.
This was reported by the head of the joint press service of the city courts, Daria Lebedeva, on her Telegram channel.
“The charge against Lidia Alekseevna was brought in absentia under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (financing of extremist activity). The measure of restraint was imposed for two months from the moment of extradition to the territory of the Russian Federation or from the moment of detention on our territory,” Lebedeva stated.
The reason for the charges against the couple was a link with payment details for transferring funds posted on one of their messenger channels. According to the investigation, no later than 20 February 2025 the Nevzorovs were collecting funds “for the preparation and commission of crimes of an extremist nature.”
13 August: Philosopher Igor Zaitsev sent to a pre-trial detention centre over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation
The Kuibyshevsky Court of St. Petersburg remanded in custody until 30 September 2026 58-year-old Candidate of Philosophical Sciences Igor Zaitsev, a former employee of the European University and former deputy dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at the Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities.
The reason for the arrest was his transfer of 3,500 roubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an organisation banned in Russia.
https://paperpaper.io/papernews/2026/8/13/filosofa-igorya-zajceva-otpravili-v-si
14 August: Pre-trial detention for a donation of 2,100 roubles
On 14 August it became known that a criminal case had been opened against St. Petersburg resident Daria Berezovskaya for transfers totalling 2,100 roubles to a community banned in the Russian Federation. According to the Joint Press Service of the St. Petersburg Courts, Berezovskaya repeatedly made donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which is designated an extremist organisation in Russia.
Reports state that she made the transfers between August 2021 and early February 2022 and therefore “sponsored an extremist organisation.”
Despite Daria’s request to replace detention with a ban on certain actions, the court ordered her to be held in custody until the end of September.
https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/08/14/76590032
17 August: German citizen detained in St. Petersburg for transferring funds to an extremist organisation
41-year-old St. Petersburg resident Igor Leonovich, who holds German citizenship, was detained for two days on suspicion of transferring funds to a banned organisation.
During a search of his apartment, a laptop and a mobile phone were seized.
“In the operational footage the man appears confused; he asks the security forces not to frighten his family and admits that his hands are shaking,” Fontanka reported.
According to the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the reason for the detention was suspicion of transferring funds to the account of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), recognised as an “extremist” organisation in Russia. The transfers apparently totalled 900 roubles since 2021.
Igor Leonovich is the founder of the personal fitness studio Trilift in St. Petersburg.
Until 21 September the court imposed a ban on certain actions; Leonovich is prohibited from leaving his residence between 22:00 and 06:00.
https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/08/17/76591785/
https://www.dw.com/ru/obvinaemomu-v-perevode-fbk-grazdaninu-germanii-okazut-konsulskuu-pomos/a-78431155
https://meduza.io/news/2026/08/17/v-peterburge-zaderzhali-grazhdanina-germanii-po-delu-o-perevode-900-rubley-fbk
18 August: First fine for publishing a UAV attack
On 18 August information appeared about a fine imposed on a St. Petersburg resident for posting, on 24 July 2026, photo and video materials about the consequences of a UAV attack on the Internet.
According to the Joint Press Service of the Courts of St. Petersburg, resident Shakhzodbek Tursunbaev posted a video from the site of a drone attack with the comment: “In general, and on the whole, translation is not needed…”. The court held that this action fell under the ban on the dissemination of such materials in paragraph 1 of Article 8-6-3 of St. Petersburg Law No. 273-70 “On Administrative Offences in St. Petersburg.”
The justice of the peace of Court District No. 5 of St. Petersburg found Shakhzodbek Tursunbaev administratively liable and imposed a fine of 4,000 roubles. This was the first case under this article in St. Petersburg.
https://t.me/SPbGS/24238
https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/6a843c799a7947fe1d372048
23 August: Security forces raid an anti-fascist festival in the Vyborg district of St. Petersburg
Police and special forces conducted a large-scale raid on a music festival in a suburb of Vyborg (St. Petersburg), detaining 100 people.
The forest area where the festival was held was cordoned off by security forces. The stated reasons for the raid were “the theme of the festival,” “the performance of songs in support of Ukraine,” “calls for a change of regime in the Russian Federation,” and “drug use.” The event was previously known as NOZH — “Unhealthy Lifestyle.”
No information is available about the outcome of the raid or the detentions.
https://theins.ru/news/296339 (video)
https://www.dp.ru/a/2026/08/22/v-lenoblasti-100-chelovek-zaderzhali
26 August: Arrested for 10 days for links to banned social networks
The Smolninsky District Court of St. Petersburg ordered 10 days of administrative arrest for blogger Alexander Vinogradov. The reason for the charge was the display of banned symbols through links to the social networks Instagram and Facebook, which are banned in the Russian Federation.
A separate protocol on the propaganda of extremist symbols was drawn up for each episode, and another case was opened against the public organisation he heads, “Potrebnadzor.”
The blogger is known for his public activities against illegal street trade in St. Petersburg, criticism of the city authorities, and his candidacy in the 2024 St. Petersburg gubernatorial election.
https://www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2026/08/26/29189113.shtml
https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/08/25/76607549/
Refusal to register candidates from the Yabloko party in the Leningrad Region
On 13 August the Leningrad Region Electoral Commission refused to register 20 candidates nominated by the Yabloko party for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region.
The party attempted to challenge the decision, but the court refused to overturn it:
“Having considered the arguments of the electoral association, the objections of the electoral commission, the prosecutor’s conclusion, and the materials of the administrative case, the court refused to satisfy the administrative claim,” the statement said.
According to TASS, the St. Petersburg Electoral Commission had earlier refused to register the Yabloko list, and the electoral commission also found “violations in the voting for the nomination of the regional list of candidates at the party congress.”
https://tass.ru/politika/28047193
28 August: Truck driver sent to pre-trial detention centre in St. Petersburg over Telegram comments
A St. Petersburg resident working as a truck driver was detained under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for extremist activity). The basis for the detention was comments in Telegram chats of a so-called “anti-Russian orientation,” in which he allegedly called for violent actions against servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces.
https://t.me/politzekinfo/9803 (video)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcq4P94CA7G/ (video)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dck1d4vO_6u/ (video)
https://forpost-sz.ru/a/2026-08-28/v-peterburge-voditelya-gruzovika-zaderzhali-za-prizyvy-k-ehkstremizmu (photo)
https://neva.today/news/2026/8/28/778802
Journalist Alexander Nevzorov arrested in absentia in St. Petersburg
The head of the joint press service of the courts of St. Petersburg, Daria Lebedeva, stated that Alexander Nevzorov is charged under two articles: evasion of the duties of a foreign agent and financing of extremist activity.
Nevzorov, known for his distinctive relationship with the authorities of the city on the Neva, has been designated a foreign agent in the Russian Federation, recognised as a member of a banned extremist association, and included in the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists.
https://nsn.fm/society/v-sankt-peterburge-zaochno-arestovali-aleksandra-nevzorova
29 August: Detention of Yabloko party member extended
Elena Perepelitsa, who was arrested on 2 July on the eve of the elections, had her term of detention extended at least until 26 September 2026.
“The detention of Elena Perepelitsa is taking place on the eve of the parliamentary elections and forms part of an obvious series of political pressure on the party. The persecution of Yabloko members is becoming a systematic instrument aimed at suppressing independent political activity in the country,” the official website of the Yabloko party stated.
According to the party, Elena Perepelitsa has significant experience of work in electoral commissions at various levels, including the territorial electoral commission of the Maryina Roshcha district.
https://www.yabloko.ru/regnews/Moscow/2026/07/02-0
https://t.me/politzekinfo/9806