On October 20, the Military Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of Gennady Kalashnikov, a 45-year-old lawyer from Vorkuta who had previously been given 15 years in prison. Kommersant reported the decision. He is to spend the first three years in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime penal colony. He was also fined 400,000 rubles and barred from administering websites for three years.
The 1st Western District Military Court found Kalashnikov guilty of inducing participation in a terrorist community, publicly justifying terrorism online, and making public calls for extremist activity. The defendant denied guilt, saying his messages were ironic and taken out of context.
According to investigators, Kalashnikov posted the comments “Death to Putin’s orcs!” and “Glory to the RDK!!!” in the Telegram channel “Pravy Vzglyad,” then forwarded his son a video about the Russian Volunteer Corps with the remark: “Shall we go to the RDK? )))”. The prosecution treated this as an attempt to persuade his son, who was serving under contract, to surrender and switch to Ukraine’s side.
“None of this interests me at all, I want to play computer games, look at drawn girls, do sports, study and talk to friends,” the son was quoted as saying in court.
Kalashnikov insisted the exchange was a joke, and his son confirmed in court that he understood it that way. The lawyer also said he considered himself a pacifist and had been deeply distressed by his son’s deployment to war.
In the summer of 2024, FSB officers detained Kalashnikov. He alleged pressure, denial of access to a lawyer, use of force, and lack of medical care despite diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. He later documented injuries and tried to file a complaint.
The independent rights project Memorial had earlier recognized Kalashnikov as a political prisoner. The group argues that his statements do not constitute terrorism or extremism, and that ignoring his torture allegations and health conditions puts his life at risk.