Alexei Gorinov
Vladimir
65 yr old (born in 26.07.1961)
Address: 658209, ул. Тракторная д. 26 А, Алтайский Край, г. Рубцовск, ФКУ «ИК № 10 УФСИН России по Алтайскому краю», Горинов Алексей Александрович, 1961 г.р.
Deputy of the Krasnoselsky Municipal District in Moscow.
He was detained on 26 April 2022 after a search. The following day, the court ordered his placement in custody under a criminal case on the dissemination of knowingly false information about the Armed Forces, following his statement at a meeting of the municipal council that it was inappropriate to hold a children’s drawing competition while children were dying in the war. On 5 May, the court limited Gorinov’s period for familiarisation with the case materials to 6 May, although he had only begun to review the case on 4 May, and spent more than half of 5 May in court. The Moscow Helsinki Group reported that he was held in torturous conditions in the pre-trial detention centre: the cell in which he was placed held seven people, although it was designed for four, and during his detention he had to sleep on a concrete floor.
On 8 July, Gorinov was sentenced to 7 years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
In September, it became known that the hearing of the appeal against the verdict would be held behind closed doors. Later, the presiding judge stated that such a decision was made for security reasons, as threats had previously been received against the judge of the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow who had delivered the original verdict.
On 19 September, the appellate court reduced Gorinov’s sentence by one month.
In December, it became known that Gorinov was not receiving medical assistance in the colony. After the situation became public, he was transferred to the hospital at a neighbouring penal colony.
On 29 June 2023, Gorinov wrote in a letter that he was being woken every two hours during the night — this was how the administration checked whether he had escaped.
In October 2023, Gorinov was placed in a pre-trial detention centre after it became known that a new criminal case had been initiated against him for publicly justifying terrorism, based on a conversation with other prisoners in the hospital. In the detention centre, he was regularly subjected to searches, and his letters were not delivered to him.
Later, he was returned to the penal colony. He reported that he was being forced to clear snow despite having a high temperature. In December 2023, a lawyer who visited Gorinov in the colony stated that he was in very poor condition, had almost no strength to sit or speak, was suffering from bronchitis in an active stage, had a fever and constant chills, and was experiencing difficulty breathing, while his medicines had been confiscated and not returned, and the doctor was merely taking his temperature and leaving.
In March 2024, in a letter from Gorinov, it became known that he was again being deprived of sleep in the colony, as he was classified as prone to escape. Subsequently, he was also registered as prone to suicide.
On 29 November 2024, in the case of public justification of terrorism, Gorinov was sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment in a strict-regime penal colony. The day before, he had been placed on record as prone to terrorist activity.
In December 2024, it became known that the heating in Gorinov’s cell had been turned off and he had not been provided with a blanket. Shortly after this information became public, the heating was turned back on.
Alexei Gorinov
will receive your letter
How to write the letter?
Getting started
It’s pretty straightforward. Just use the form above. You can choose a specific person from the directory or let Vestochka pick one at random for you.
We might know a lot about some of them, while others might only have a few details like their charges and sentences. Don’t let that stop you — your words can make a big difference, no matter how much information you have!
Some political prisoners are not listed on Vestochka: we may still be editing their profiles, they may have asked not to receive letters, they are being transferred to a new place of imprisonment or are at a place where letters cannot be delivered.
What can I write about?
Imagine you want to get to know someone. Start by introducing yourself — share a bit about who you are, what you enjoy doing, and what you do for work. Use your real name, but if you’re worried about privacy, you can pick a pseudonym.
Don’t kick off your letter with pity or overly comforting lines like «everything will be okay» or «don’t give up.» It’s fine to show you care, but only if the person is looking for that kind of support.
For your first letter, let them know why you’re reaching out. Maybe something about them caught your eye or you feel a connection. If you don’t have much information about them, just ask them to tell you more about themselves.
Share a bit about your own life — like a book you’ve read, something cool you saw on a walk, a movie you watched, or a trip you took. Share your thoughts and experiences. It’s important to give them a sense of your world. Don’t feel bad about living a full life while they’re in a tough spot; sharing your experiences can be really meaningful.
Remember, you’re talking to someone who’s in a tough situation. They have their own thoughts and feelings. Be sensitive and don’t assume what kind of letters they want. It’s best to ask them what they’re interested in and what kind of info they’d like. Some might want news, memes, interesting articles, or social media posts.
Ask questions and listen closely. This helps them open up and share their thoughts and feelings, and it helps you understand them better and connect more.
At the end of your letter, wish them well and make sure to include the date.
On censorship: what can’t I write?
When you send letters or postcards to prisoners, they’re checked by a censor. To make sure your letter gets through, keep these tips in mind:
Don’t write anything that could get the person you’re writing to in trouble. Avoid talking about the person’s criminal case. This could cause problems and might even get your letter sent to investigators. It might also cause distress for a prisoner.
Skip codes, weird symbols, or unknown abbreviations.
Stay away from swearing, insults, threats, or anything that could be seen as illegal, like calls for violence or overthrowing Putin.
Don’t include any erotic or pornographic material.
Don’t mention prison security, staff, or how to sneak in prohibited items.
Avoid making negative comments about authorities or others. Mild political opinions are usually okay.
Sometimes, poems or names might get rejected or censored in certain prisons.
Avoid overtly queer-related topics; prisoners singled out as LGBT+ can get in trouble.
Be careful with military topics: don’t talk about combat, weapons, or casualties.
These rules are just common sense — don’t put anyone in a bad spot. Follow these tips, and your letter should get through. Otherwise, the censor will likely cross out or remove anything they don’t like. Also, avoid discussing anything confidential.
Is it allowed to send photographs?
Yes, it is allowed. You can attach a photograph, drawing, meme or other images to the letter. In most penal colonies and pre-trial detention centres, only black-and-white printers are available, so colour images are printed without colour.
What language do I use in my letter?
Don’t worry if you do not write in Russian — we will translate your letter. We have already translated letters from English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish. With the help of our volunteers from around the world, we can translate letters from almost every language and make sure they reach their recipient.
Should I expect a reply and do I have to respond?
Maintaining a correspondence is more challenging than writing the first letter. But it would be wonderful if you’re able to write regularly. That way, the inmate will have a companion and someone to talk to. People who write letters consistently recommend setting reminders in their calendars. If you don’t feel up to it — that’s okay too. Even a one-time letter is a meaningful gesture and a valuable source of support.
Sometimes letters can get lost, or they might not be passed on, and the person could be moved to another region. Don’t think the person in prison is upset with you or that the communication isn’t working. Just try writing again.
Don’t start lots of similar conversations just for the sake of it or to «boost the numbers». It’s better to pick one person and focus on building a real connection. Always keep in mind the unique feedback and the relationship that develops between you.
We advise saving a copy of your letter or taking a photo of it so you don’t forget what you wrote last time. It happens. Sometimes a lot of time passes between letters.
How do I maintain the correspondence?
When someone in prison writes you a reply, we’ll send it to you by email along with a transcription and translation. To continue the conversation with Vestochka, follow the instructions in our reply email: find the person in the Vestochka directory, fill out the form again, and send your letter. We cover all the expenses. It is free for you.
How can I send letters myself?
If you want to continue writing without our help, you can use prisonmail.online. It’s a service that accepts non-Russian banking cards, but, unfortunately, not all prisons are working with it.
If you have a Russian banking card, you can send letters using F-Pismo or ZT.
When sending a letter by yourself, you have to provide the region and the number of the prison or pre-trial detention centre, the inmate’s full name and year of birth. You can enter your real phone number or simply any combination of digits. Please make sure to enter the correct details of the person you’re writing to — otherwise, the letter won’t reach them. You can find the inmate’s exact address on our website.
Please note: the reply will come as a scanned handwritten letter in Russian.
How else can I support Russian dissidents?
You can organize letter-writing events in your communities, push your representatives to focus on Russian political prisoners, welcome Russian exiles, donate and follow independent Russian media and NGOs — and much more. Just don’t forget about what is going on in Russia — do not relent and do not look away.
It says that the prisoner I was assigned was tried for terrorism, or extremism or something else scary, what’s up with that?
The Kremlin is using scary labels to justify its repression against innocent people.
Of course, a sentence for terrorism does not necessarily mean that a person is a political prisoner (unlike, for example, a sentence for «spreading fake news about the Russian army»). And yet we can say that there are at least several groupings of political crackdowns using the threat of terror as a pretext to go after innocents.
First, hundreds of people have been sentenced to long terms due to their alleged involvement in the Islamist party of Hizb ut-Tahrir — this is used primarily as a pretext for crackdowns on Crimean Tatars. The party was banned as a terrorist organization, although there is no evidence that it had any connection with terrorist activity in Russia or Crimea.
Second, the article on calls for terrorism or justification of terrorism (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) is considered a «terrorist» article, and is increasingly being applied to those who, due to their disagreement with the war, allow themselves to make harsh statements against the Kremlin.
Third, since the beginning of the war, the authorities have begun to regard the arson of military registration and enlistment offices as terrorist attacks, although there has not been a single case of anyone being seriously harmed by these protest arsons.
Finally, there are a number of cases in which terrorist activity, including through falsification of evidence, is attributed to opponents of the Kremlin. This is done in order to reduce their support in society and put them behind bars for a long time. The article on state treason is used in a similar manner.
I have a different question
If you have any questions or run into difficulties, we will be glad to help: write to us at info@vestochka.io. We advise against writing to this address from Russian email services (yandex.ru, mail.ru, rambler.ru, etc.).