Turan Ustiugov

A citizen of Kazakhstan, he lived in Almaty and was detained on 30 September 2024 while entering Crimea by bus. His mother later told the Current Time TV channel that on 2 October he called her, screaming that he was being tortured — hung upside down and electrocuted. At his trial, Ustiugov said he was forced to give a confession under torture. On 3 October 2025, charges were brought against him for preparing to participate in terrorist activities. The investigation alleges that he planned to join the Russian Volunteer Corps and before that to execute "test" tasks related to sabotage and terrorist acts in Crimea, directed by a supposed representative of this unit. Ustiugov claimed at trial that these tasks were given by an SBU representative, not the Russian Volunteer Corps, as he was rejected by the latter and then contacted the SBU. He was taken into custody on 4 October. Later in November, additional charges were added for training to engage in terrorist activities.

His mother said in interviews that he intended to fight for Ukraine and was communicating about this on Telegram. Concerned, she joined the chats where he was active and asked that his requests to join units be denied. She also contacted the National Security Committee of Kasakhstan, and its agents conducted preventive talks with Ustiugov. She introduced him to Russian citizens who had fled to Kazakhstan to escape the war and mobilisation. He left home on 27 September 2024, and his mother looked for him with the National Security Committee's assistance.

The court reclassified the charges from training to preparing for training. On 25 June 2025, Ustiugov was sentenced to 12 years in a strict regime penal colony.

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