Russian Federation

Ilya Yashin, the highest-profile opposition politician to remain in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison on 9 December for “discrediting the Russian army.” Yashin had been a vocal critic of the Russian invasion, and had made numerous social media posts criticizing and publicizing the murders of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha by the Russian military before his arrest in July. Other opposition figures who have declined to emigrate have suffered similar consequences; Alexei Gorinov, a local Moscow politician, was sentenced on similar charges in July, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist and activist, has been detained since April and faces up to 24 years in prison on treason charges.

Censorship Ilya Yashin

Human rights watchdogs warn that Russia is imprisoning military conscripts who refuse to go to the front or protest lack of food, water, or support in combat as part of a larger effort to force unwilling soldiers to fight and refuse surrender. In a separate incident, the Russian mercenary group Wagner fighting in Ukraine distributed a video of the execution of one of its members, Yevgeny Nuzhin, with a sledgehammer, saying Nuzhin had defected during his captivity and citing an interview conducted by a Ukrainian journalist while Nuzhin was in custody as proof. After either having been captured or surrendered in September, Nuzhin was returned to Russian custody as part of a prisoner exchange in November, although the circumstances of both his capture by Ukraine and return to Russia remain unclear. Wagner head Yevgeniy Prighozin celebrated the video and the execution.

Excessive Use of Force Interstate War Extrajudicial killings

On 19 October President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in the Ukrainian territory Russia claims to have annexed in September. The law not only suspends basic rights and due process in those regions, but also applies various moderately less stringent measures across the rest of Russia. The restrictions introduced go far beyond what is permitted by relevant Russian laws and statutes. 

Martial law

Marking a new extreme in Russia’s crackdown on independent media, a court sentenced Russian journalist Ivan Safronov to 22 years in prison on charges of high treason on 7 September. The charges centered on Safronov’s reporting, but all material discussed in court was also available online on government and government-controlled media websites. The sentence, which is long even by contemporary Russian standards, is part of a larger crackdown on independent media and public protest during the invasion of Ukraine. As of 28 October OVD-Info recorded 19,335 arrests for protests against the war and 'partial mobilization’ in Russia.

Freedom of Expression Ivan Safronov