Egor Balazeikin
Saint Petersburg
20 yr old (born in 06.08.2006)
Address: 195009, г. Санкт-Петербург, ул. Арсенальная, д. 11, ФКУ СИЗО-5 ГУФСИН России по г. Санкт-Петербургу и Ленинградской области ("Арсеналка"), Балазейкин Егор Даниэлевич, 2006 г.р.
A resident of St. Petersburg, at the time of the prosecution, he was a 10th grade student, an honours student, engaged in karate and social activism. A Telegram channel dedicated to Balazeikin reports that he initially supported the war, but then changed his position, including because his uncle died there. The teenager's mother, who managed to speak to him after his detention, recounted his words on Rain that he wanted to do something, "seeing how many people were dying."
He was detained on 28 February 2023 because of the attempted arson of the military enlistment office for Kirovsk and Kirovsky district of the Leningrad region. According to the version of the investigation, the young man threw a "Molotov cocktail" at the door of the military enlistment office, but the bottle did not explode. Initially, the case was initiated under the article on intentional destruction or damage to property (Art. 167 of the Criminal Code), but later the article was changed to an attempt to commit a terrorist act (Part 1 of Art. 205 of the Criminal Code with the application of Part 3 of Art. 30 of the Criminal Code). Soon it became known that another case was brought against Balazeikin in connection with an attempt to set fire to the military enlistment office of Krasnogvardeysky district of St. Petersburg. At first it was also reported about the article on damage to property, but this information was apparently not confirmed. The first written explanations were taken from Balazeikin in the absence of his parents. The teenager was taken into custody.
FSB officers who visited Balazeikin in the TDF said that they could beat him, rape him or send him to a psychiatric hospital. Balazeikin's father was fired from his job.
On 7 August 2023 it was reported that the young man's health was deteriorating in detention: liver fibrosis was progressing on the background of a disease - autoimmune hepatitis.
The court held the first sessions at a fast pace, they lasted many hours, in connection with which the lawyer announced the violation of Balazeikin's rights, as the defence had no opportunity to communicate with him confidentially. On 25 October, the court postponed the sessions indefinitely. On 22 November 2023 Balazeikin was sentenced to six years in an educational colony.
The medical commission refused to recognise him as a person with a disability.
In June 2024, it became known that a letter with the documents necessary for his transfer to an educational colony was missing from the pre-trial detention centre where Balazeikin is being held. Without them, he will also not be able to get permission to make calls, and his parents will not be able to get permission for visits.
Later Balazeikin was transferred to the colony. During his transfer to the pre-trial detention centre in Vologda, where he had a long stopover, he was first placed with other prisoners in the basement. There, the former Wagnerite promised to kill him. Balazeikin was then transferred to a separate cell with many fleas and bedbugs, and spent six days there without water and with a non-functioning toilet. Throughout the entire phase, he was never once given medication, which is vital for him.
In August 2024 it was reported that the colony staff let him know that he was a terrorist, provoking him to talk about military actions, telling him about NATO and the Banderaites. Balazeikin was forced to write a statement that he did not want to be in an educational colony until the age of 19 and asked to be transferred to a penal colony, and forbade his lawyer to appeal his decision. In addition, the colony staff drew up a characterisation on the teenager, according to which he regularly violates internal regulations, is prone to terrorist and extremist activities, has a detrimental effect on other prisoners and is dangerous to juvenile prisoners.
In September 2024, the court decided to send Balazeikin to an adult colony, and it turned out that the court was guided by the characteristic from the educational colony, where the prisoner was described on the positive side (easily found a common language with unfamiliar teenagers, communicated politely with the administration, did not clash with anyone, performed works to improve the territory, emotionally mature, balanced, tidy, kept his sleeping place in order), but in the finale it was said that he was characterised negatively.
On 25 November 2024 Balazeikin was established the third disability group for 1 year.
Egor Balazeikin
will receive your letter
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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