Ilia Romanov

Resident of Nizhny Novgorod city. After an explosion (as Romanov claims, a firecracker) in October 2013 resulted in Romanov being admitted to hospital where he had to have his left hand amputated, a case was opened against him for illegal trafficking in explosive devices. Several searches were conducted, including by FSB officers. Later the charge was reclassified to preparation of a terrorist act. Investigators threatened to "stick various objects", as well as to create "an intolerable atmosphere for close relatives", tried to obtain a confession that he was "a member of an underground terrorist group" and "an agent of the special services of Ukraine" (previously Romanov was imprisoned in Ukraine for 10 years on charges of distributing materials calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order, illegal possession of weapons and drugs). In August 2015, Romanov was sentenced to ten years. In December, the appeal court reduced the sentence by one year. In May 2017, a case was brought against Romanov for public justification of terrorism. The reason was the video "Invitation to Jihad", which, according to the investigation, he published on Facebook from his phone while in a prison hospital. Romanov claimed that he had nothing to do with this video and that he was admitted to the hospital with a false diagnosis (fistula). On 26 October 2018, he was sentenced to five and a half years in a strict regime colony. In detention Romanov suffered a stroke, he was half paralysed. In April 2020, he was released from prison.