Siberian Teenagers Await Life Sentences on Extremism Charges 0 62

In July 2026, Lyubov Lizunova will turn 20. This will be the fourth birthday she will celebrate in detention. Currently, Lyuba is in IK-7 in Ulan-Ude, while last spring, as her peers were choosing dresses for graduation, she was finishing her 11th-grade notes in a detention center in Chita and reading Aristotle – a collection of treatises spanning fourteen hundred pages. Lizunova has already received 3.5 years in a penal colony, but she may now be sentenced to life imprisonment.

"Honor Student, Pride of the School"

She was detained in Chita on October 31, 2022, along with Alexander Snezhkov. She was 16 at the time. He was 19. They played in the same punk band. He was the vocalist, she was the drummer. Both identify as anti-fascists. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a shock for both.

After the announcement of "partial mobilization," they spray-painted the words "Death to the Regime" on the wall of a shabby abandoned garage somewhere in the backstreets of Chita. Soon, two men approached them and showed their IDs. As it turned out later, the security forces had known the time and place of their action from the very beginning, and the process of applying the graffiti was secretly filmed.

– Sasha later figured out that they most likely hacked his messages on VKontakte – that’s how they knew where to wait for them, – says Semen, a friend of Snezhkov and Lizunova (the names of all interlocutors have been changed for their safety). – On the evening of the arrest, they were released home. One of the investigators even said that he "understood their feelings." And at the same time, he did not try to extract anti-war statements from them. It seemed that everything would be fine. After all, Liza is a minor. Besides, what did they do? They wrote two words?!

As a result, a criminal case for "vandalism" (Article 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) was initiated against the three detained teenagers (in addition to Lizunova and Snezhkov, their friend Vladislav Vishnevsky was also detained, who later received a suspended sentence). But then they added charges of "justifying terrorism" and "calls for separatism."

– Later, "separatism" disappeared from the charges. Instead, investigators slapped them with the already standard article on "extremism" (Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) for all anti-war activists. Snezhkov and Lizunova were placed under a travel ban, and their homes were searched. On December 10, all three were added to the list of terrorists and extremists, – recalls local human rights activist Roman Sysoev, who is familiar with the case.

Lyuba's relatives admit that even after the searches and the seizure of some items, they had no doubt – it would be even less than a suspended sentence, maybe just a fine.

"FSB officers came in the morning, I was still sleeping, my parents opened the door for them. They did not exert pressure on me, there were no threats. I calmly went to the kitchen and poured myself some coffee. It was unpleasant when they started reading my personal notes and laughing. They took my phone, leaflets with the inscription 'Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood,' anti-fascist badges, badges with the name of the Telegram channel," – Lyuba Lizunova managed to tell the Siberia.Reality editorial office in 2022 about how the search in her house went.

After the searches, investigators included publications from the channels "Shugany-25" (95 subscribers and the last post from October 2022) and "75zlo" (108 subscribers and the last post from October 10, 2022) in the case materials. They were convinced that someone from the detainees was running these channels. The "E" center (the Ministry of Internal Affairs department for combating extremism) was particularly interested in a post that allegedly "positively mentioned the arson of military enlistment offices, sabotage on the railway, and actions of the 'Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists.'"

– In reality, this is one of the rare posts about arson; most posts in these channels are about helping homeless animals, about arrests for pictures and posts. Some sabotage, if mentioned as news, was accompanied by the thought – it is important that peaceful people do not suffer in the process, – says one of Lizunova's relatives, Ivan. – Of course, we could not believe that she could be arrested and then imprisoned. Just a child. And what a child! An honor student, pride of the school, and a winner of olympiads, a volunteer at shelters for homeless animals. Lyuba is also an artist – she graduated from art school, draws excellently in any technique, and is a musician – ukulele, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums. She performed at all school events, while being very modest, not a show-off, on good terms with everyone. A compassionate child who would not harm anyone. Recently, she was interested in dystopias – during the search, it was enough to look at her library: philosophy, history; modernism and classic novels. Her views were rather socialist, with principles of social equality, equal rights for all people. And most importantly – the absence of any violence. How can a 16-year-old child with such views be judged?! For what, for words?

19-year-old Alexander Snezhkov said in an interview with Siberia.Reality in 2022 that he became an anti-fascist four years before his arrest, after participating in actions of liberal activists.

"My parents were also wary of my participation in protests and rallies, – Alexander said. – I do not live with my father, but we keep in touch. At first, he did not take my views seriously, thinking it was due to my age. But then, when he realized that it was all serious for me, he demanded that I stop doing this. Especially after the police started coming."

Two years earlier, Alexander was detained at a picket in support of "Set" (an organization of anarchists and anti-fascists that gained wide notoriety when criminal cases were initiated against its members under the article on creating a terrorist community; in February 2020, 7 defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from 6 to 18 years in a penal colony). Because Snezhkov was still a minor, he was not arrested then, but he was under the supervision of the juvenile commission for six months. This detention greatly frightened his mother, who has a disability. As a result, Alexander began to take fewer risks but did not abandon his views.

"What is anti-fascism? It is, first of all, a struggle against violence. Initially, I was against the strengthening and impunity of such authorities as the police, and against various right-wing radical parties. Then I came to ultra-left views. I read everything – from socialists, Marx, Lenin, to anarchists," – says Alexander.

The teenagers explained their participation in actions against the current government simply – "repression and poverty."

"We live in times of repression. There is currently a struggle against dissenters, the destruction of one’s own people in war and in peaceful life – many have felt the rise in prices in stores due to the destruction of the economy. Many of my friends from other cities have suffered; every month I learn that one of them has been detained. Including acquaintances who are musicians are being grabbed for their anti-war stance. It will only get worse," – said Alexander.

"From School to Isolation"

In 2022, the Siberia.Reality editorial office managed to talk to Sasha and Lyuba, as for some time after their detention and searches, they remained free, under a travel ban.

– At the beginning of 2023, due to the nature of the interrogations and investigative actions, both realized that the criminal prosecution would not end with a fine and decided to leave. On January 13, they stopped communicating, and on January 30, they were detained again. Sasha in Omsk, and Lyuba in the neighboring Irkutsk region. Lyuba's parents and Sasha's mother did not even suspect. Lyuba told her father that she was going to say goodbye to a friend who was moving to St. Petersburg. A day later, Lyuba's father even filed a missing person report at the Northern police department, as his daughter did not answer her phone. Two days later, the Investigative Committee itself called the father and informed him of their capture. The families were frightened by their escape, and the detention was simply shocking, – says Ivan.

In Chita, Lyuba was placed in a temporary detention facility (IVS) for three days, and then the court placed the girl under house arrest. Alexander was immediately sent to a detention center.

– At the next court hearing, Lyuba's parents begged the court to soften the measure of restraint from house arrest to a ban on certain actions so that their daughter could at least finish the 10th grade – due to her arrest, she had to miss an entire school year. Lyuba repeated the 10th grade, but in March she was placed in isolation. For being two hours late coming home from her mother's birthday party! – recalls Ivan.

One of the requirements of the ban on certain actions was to stay home from 8 PM to 6 AM. At the beginning of March, Lyuba's mother had a birthday, turning 45, which the family decided to celebrate at a restaurant in the center of Chita.

– We started calling a taxi from 7:30 PM to send Lyuba home with her younger 6-year-old sister. The taxi never arrived, acquaintances could not come quickly, and it was far to walk and already dark. The family came home late in the evening, and the next day the inspector recorded violations on the electronic bracelet. The court reacts very harshly to the photo at the restaurant with the time indicated – detention center, – says Ivan. – Lyuba's mother cried day and night. She did not expect that a month later – in April – her daughter would be sentenced to a penal colony.

The military court was held in closed session, and the decision was made by a traveling panel of three judges. From April 11, Lyuba was in custody; in her two-person cell, her neighbor was a 16-year-old girl accused of murder.

In April 2024, the 1st Eastern District Military Court sentenced Lyuba to 3.5 years of imprisonment under the articles on "calls for extremism" (Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and "justifying terrorism" (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Alexander was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony for the same articles plus "vandalism" (Article 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The relatives of the convicted were very affected by the sentence. An attempt to appeal it was unsuccessful. During the appeal, Lyuba remained in the Chita detention center and successfully completed the 10th and then the 11th grade. In letters to relatives and friends, she complained about the poor library and limited range of activities.

The range of activities here is very limited […]. I draw and write a lot, I take notes on any educational material that comes to hand, I read fiction. I finally finished studying Aristotle's collection of treatises of 1400 pages, and now I am waiting for a self-tutor in French.

"There are three of us in the cell. The girls are younger than me – 17 and 14 years old. One is here for murder, the other for allegedly filming a rape. Our relationships are peaceful, friendly, more neighborly than friendly. We help each other as much as we can, no hierarchy."

"Every day you see only gray, concrete, and a piece of sky through double bars. Waiting for light is useless; you have to shine yourself."

"Students Will Not Be Released"

Three years after the detention, another criminal case was initiated against Alexander – again under the article on "justifying terrorism." As his friends say, it was "fabricated," since the basis for its initiation was a conversation with a cellmate, in which he asked Snezhkov to quote the grounds for his first accusation.

– The quotes from the first accusation were repeated by the cellmate to the investigators, and they re-accused Sasha on the same grounds. In October 2025, he was sentenced to 5 years: the first three years in prison, the remaining term in a strict regime colony, – says Semen.

After the initiation of the new criminal case, Snezhkov was again sent from the general regime colony to the Chita detention center. The defense filed an appeal against the 5-year sentence, and the term for the second case was managed to be reduced to 4.5 years, two and a half of which he will still have to serve in a strict regime colony.

But this was not the end of the persecution of Lyuba and Sasha. At the end of January 2026, when Lizunova's sentence had passed the halfway mark, the Transbaikal Regional Court suddenly recognized the "Transbaikal Left Union" (ZLO) as a terrorist organization. The investigation calls Lyubov and Alexander "informal leaders" of this non-existent movement. They now face life imprisonment under the article on organizing a terrorist community.

Human rights activists, relatives, and friends of the political prisoners are convinced: the new extremist movement was invented by the security forces specifically to prevent the kids from being released.

– What a coincidence that a cellmate with tricky questions appeared in Sasha's cell just when his term was approaching the halfway mark and he could apply for parole (conditional early release). And when did they identify the non-existent "terrorist movement"? Again, when Lyuba had less than half of her sentence left and there was a chance to free her, – notes their friend Semen. – And what is this movement "75ZLO" that no one knows about? The only mention is a Telegram channel that hasn’t had a new post in 3.5 years.

Human rights activist Sysoev believes that the mentioned "movement" has no signs to be recognized as such.

– Participants in the movement can only be adult citizens who are 18 years old. In the first criminal case, by the way, there are no mentions of this "movement" at all, while in the new claim (which, by the way, was prepared by the same investigator who handled the first case against Lyuba and Sasha), the date of the "organization's" creation is indicated as 2019. When Lyuba was 14 years old and Sasha was 17, – notes the human rights activist. – Unfortunately, such investigators are not currently required to do normal, reasonable work. There is a trend that they are actively working on – to fabricate new criminal cases against anti-war activists so that they do not get released from detention. The war has already entered its fifth year, and the relatively short terms of juvenile convicts are beginning to expire – they need to lock them up again, not even allowing students to be released for a week. A new case was also initiated this month against schoolboy Arseniy Turbin. And against Nikita Uvarov.

In June 2024, 15-year-old schoolboy Arseniy Turbin from the Oryol region was sentenced to 5 years for distributing leaflets criticizing Putin. The basis of his case was a forged protocol from the FSB. In February, a new criminal case was initiated against him under the article on participation in mass riots (Article 212 Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), his supporters claim. According to them, there was an attempt to "fabricate" a case against Turbin related to AUE (the Prisoners' Code is one, the motto and name of an informal criminal subculture) – in December, Turbin's lawyer recorded an attempt to plant a notebook with AUE notes in the schoolboy's cell.

It was such an accusation of allegedly participating in the "AUE extremist movement" that was brought against Nikita Uvarov on February 18, a month before his release. Uvarov ended up in prison for the case of schoolboy anarchists from Kansk at the age of 14, in June 2020. After 11 months, he was released for a short time, but in February 2022, the tribunal found Uvarov guilty of training for terrorism – the schoolboy was sentenced to 5 years in a penal colony. The accusation brought in 2026 for participation in the activities of an extremist organization carries a sentence of up to 6 years.