Aleksei Grigoriev

A resident of Novotroitsk (Orenburg Oblast), and possibly a cashier at a pawnshop. He was detained on May 20, 2023, and sent to custody on May 22 on charges of preparing to commit a terrorist act. Later, he was also charged with preparation for treason and participation in a terrorist organization. Local media published fragments of alleged correspondence between Grigoriev and a representative of the Ukrainian security services, where they discussed arson on the railway, explosion of buildings, and crossing of the border. Grigoriev later reported that he had conducted correspondence while under the influence of a narcotic substance, after which he refused to commit the crime. At trial, he stated that in April 2023 he got involved with the project "I Want to Live", and began to put up posters with its symbols. Then, Grigoriev stated, he met a man who introduced himself as Maks and who encouraged him to carry out subversive activities. Grigoriev, in his own words, refused to do so, and, as a response, Maks began to urge him to kill Russian military personnel, set fire to cars, and carry out bombings. Grigoriev also told the court that in May 2023, he filled out an application form to join the Freedom of Russia legion. At that time he nevertheless decided to set fire to a railway relay box in order to resist mobilization. He purchased all the necessary materials and was detained after burying them in the forest. In a letter from the pre-trial detention centre, Grigoriev claims that he is being deliberately kept in a damp, cold, and stinky basement with rats, fungus, and mold on the walls. According to him, the staff of the detention centre provoke him, do not hand over or mail his letters, do not allow him to shop, do not provide medical care or bring medicine, and other prisoners threat him with reprisals and murder. Grigoriev also shared that he has a sick grandmother at home. On February 7, 2025, Grigoriev was sentenced to 20 years in a strict regime penal colony.