The first issue of “Chronicles of Persecution of Scientists” was released exactly two years ago on September 30, 2023. Today, we will summarize some developments in Russia’s judicial system over these two years.
Today, our database contains 126 entries: 23 organizations and 103 individuals. 43 people have been have faced criminal prosecution, 30 are currently in custody.
Over the past two months, two have been released: Vladimir Mironov (completed his sentence) and Aleksey Soldatov (his prison term was commuted to a fine). But at the end of September, it became known that Nikolai Zyuzev is in a pretrial detention center. He was placed in custody, probably three months ago, and has only now become known.
Zyuzev is suspected of confidential cooperation with a foreign state (a catch-all charge under Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code). This article criminalizes “Cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organization,” with punishment being imprisonment for a term of three to eight years with a fine and restriction of freedom.
What is “cooperation on a confidential basis”? There is a scientist Anton Klimkin in our database who was prosecuted under this very article. When the sentence was passed (in June 2024), the publication SibReal.org spoke with a lawyer whose name is not disclosed. He said that the sentence against Klimkin is a very dangerous precedent: “The danger lies in the fact that for Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (cooperation with foreigners), does not require evidence of transferring any classified information. This article establishes liability for confidential communication with a representative of a foreign state. As far as I know, this is the first case under this article against a scientist for communicating with foreign colleagues. And ‘testing’ this article on scientists creates a dangerous precedent that could lead to an expansion of repressions against them, since it will not be necessary to establish the fact of transferring any information; it will be sufficient to prove only the fact of communication.”
The “communication” itself in Zyuzev’s case doesn’t even need to be proven: the scientist has been living permanently in Canada and came to Komi to visit his home village. This case shows how dangerous it is for a scientist who resides permanently outside Russia — even if he is not a nuclear physicist, but a philosopher and sociologist — to visit his “native village.” The law that “provides for liability for confidential communication with a representative of a foreign state” works like a trap.
Over two years, the legislation regarding foreign agents has been significantly tightened, making life significantly more difficult for them, but now practically anyone can be declared a foreign agent — even someone who is not a Russian citizen, even someone who has never received a cent from foreign funds or citizens. None of this needs to be proven in court; it is sufficient to declare that the given person or organization “is under foreign influence.” That alone is enough for the Ministry of Justice needs to declare someone a foreign agent. Naturally, their number is growing.
But still, there are relatively few foreign agents — slightly more than a thousand. But in Russia, a real class of “new disenfranchised,” or, as Sergei Abramov said, “severe civil disability” is gradually forming — these are those whom Rosfinmonitoring has included in its list of extremists. As of May 2025, the list has more than 17 thousand individuals, and one of them is the distinguished scientist and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sergei Abramov.
Marking the two-year anniversary of the “Chronicles…,” we can say that repressive laws in Russia have become easier to apply because of their extreme vagueness, and harder to defend against or avoid.
New Cards
Sergei Erlikh
September 19, 2025 the Ministry of Justice designated historian Sergei Erlikh as a foreign agent, reports RBC. The ministry stated that Erlikh “disseminated false information about decisions made by government bodies of the Russian Federation and the policies they pursue. He spoke out against the special military operation in Ukraine.”
Evgeny Ermolin
September 8, 2025, as reported by Kommersant, an administrative protocol was filed against philologist and teacher Evgeny Ermolin under Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation — participation in the activities of a foreign or international organization in respect of which a decision has been made to recognize its activities as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation. Punishment under this article is an administrative fine ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles. Ermolin is accused of disseminating and storing information materials of the Free University which is based in Latvia.
Oleg Itskhoki
September 5, 2025 The Ministry of Justice recognized economist Oleg Itskhoki as a foreign agent, reports Forbes citing the press service of the ministry. According to the ministry, Itskhoki spoke out against the “special operation” in Ukraine and disseminated unreliable data about decisions of Russian authorities and their policies, participated in the creation or dissemination of materials by foreign agents.
Dmitry Kazakov
July 25, 2025 according to a Mediazona report, the Dubna City Court of the Moscow Region fined corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences physicist Dmitry Kazakov 300 thousand rubles ($3,700) in a case involving two donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (of Alexei Navalny). The verdict is published on the court’s website. Kazakov was found guilty of financing extremism (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Nikolai Zyuzev
August 26, 2025(no later than this date) according to a report from Komi daily, philosopher and sociologist Nikolai Zyuzev was detained in Syktyvkar. On August 26, Judge Aleksey Rodionov of the Syktyvkar City Court extended the detention of Nikolai Zyuzev in custody. Russian courts typically make such decisions before the expiration of the first two months of the detainee’s stay in a pretrial detention center. Probably, the scientist was detained back in late June 2025, which had gone unreported by both regional media and private sources.
Updates
Sergei Medvedev
September 29, 2025 The Tverskoy Court of Moscow convicted political scientist Sergei Medvedev in absentia on charges of disseminating “fakes” about the army and repeatedly “discrediting” the armed forces. He was sentenced, on multiple counts, to ten years in a general-regime penal colony, and a five-year ban on managing internet resources, according to a correspondent for SOTAVision reporting from the courtroom.
Artem Khoroshilov
September 10, 2025 in the Moscow Regional Court, the Khoroshilov case held its fourth open hearing. This is the first open hearing after an almost three-month summer break. For the first time in almost 2 years that Khoroshilov has been in Lefortovo, he was allowed to see his mother. In total, 2 years and 8 months have passed since Khoroshilov’s first detention, reports T-Invariant. At the hearing, chemist Andrey Kazakov was questioned. FSB investigators enlisted him to evaluate the forensic explosives analysis conducted by criminologists (dated September 9, 2024). Kazakov prepared an expert opinion in which he indicated that based on the photographic evidence presented to him, it was possible to assemble an explosive device and blow up railway tracks, reports T-invariant.
Mikhail Volkov
September 2, 2025 in Yekaterinburg, the trial in the case of Mikhail Volkov began. He is accused of financing an extremist organization. As reported by Mediazona, at the trial it became known that the basis of the accusation was two transfers of a thousand rubles each to the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
The complete database. Entries highlighted in red are new; those in purple are updated.