Roman Gribov

A resident of Kostroma, a sales manager for automotive oils. On July 2, 2025, he was detained. According to him, his hands were wrapped with duct tape, a black bag was put on his head and he was forced to unlock his phone. Then he was taken to the FSB department in the Kostroma region, where an officer fixated his hands, poured water on his feet, threw him on the floor, plugged a bare wire into an electricity socket, after which Gribov was tortured with electric current for an hour and a half. Next, he was then taken for a search, then returned to the FSB department, where he was beaten on the kidneys, after which, as he claims, he was given vodka and taken to the police station. At the police station, a policeman in the presence of witnesses suggested that he undergo an examination. Gribov agreed. But then, according to Gribov, the FSB officer demanded him to refuse the examination, and he refused. On 3rd July, he was arrested for 13 days under the administrative article on refusal of medical examination (Article 6.9 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

On July 15, 2025, a case was brought against him for inciting extremism and terrorism. The reason was comments about a nuclear explosion in Moscow (in response to political scientist Dmitrii Suslov's arguments about the need for a demonstration nuclear explosion on the territory of Russia) and the execution of prisoners that were recruited for war.

Gribov's brother said that on December 30, 2025, Gribov found himself in the same cell with an FSB officer who had previously tortured him. Cellmates threatened Gribov with new criminal cases and the fate of neo-Nazi Maksim Martsinkevich, who was found dead in the pre-trial detention center, if he never pleed guilty. Gribov was kept in that cell until January 12, 2026. In February 2026, it became known that cellmates were persuading him to plead guilty. These cellmates were then moved away from him, but a new inmate was placed in his cell and began trying to engage Gribov in conversations about prison subculture, political views and treason cases. The conversations continued during the walk with prisoners from neighbouring cells.

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