Angel Nikolaev

Resident of Khabarovsk. He has been in custody since spring 2023. He was accused of committing a terrorist act causing significant property damage by setting fire to the military recruitment centre of the Industrial District of Khabarovsk. Nikolaev admits in a letter from the pre-trial detention centre that in September 2022, shortly after mobilisation was announced, he set fire to two bottles of petrol, placing them near the windows of the military registration office in order to destroy his own personal file. In addition, Nikolaev is charged with desecration of burial sites and the flag of the Russian Federation (Article 329 of the Criminal Code) because on February 27, 2023, he painted red paint on Russian flags on the graves of those who died in the war. In the letter Nikolaev claims that he had no intention to desecrate the grave sites, while the flags on the graves caused outrage because, in his opinion, it is the Russian government that is responsible for the deaths. The Khabarovsk resident is also accused of hooliganism and vandalism because he tore down symbols with the letter "Z" from cars and public transport stops, and painted the letter "Z" crossed out with the letter "N" on cars in red paint (the charge says he painted symbols similar to the Nazi swastika). Nikolaev writes that in June 2023, Federal Security Service's officers came to him in the pre-trial detention centre and offered to confirm that he was a member of the Freedom of Russia Legion, but he refused.
On May, 3rd, 2024 Nikolaev was sentenced to 15 years in a strict regime penal colony. On September, 11th, 2024, the court of appeal reduced the sentence by two months.

You can read more about politically persecuted people in the Telegram channel OVD-Info LIVE and our database of politically motivated criminal prosecutions.