Abuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcement
At least six political prisoners died in Russian custody in the first four months of 2026; one death is reported to be under criminal investigation
Confidence: Corroborated · 2 sourcesRussia · Oct 6, 2026
Subject of this story
Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia
Also named
Advocate
Memorial
What happened
Memorial counts at least six political prisoners who died in custody from January to April 2026, including Roman Sidorkin (8 January) and Oleg Tyryshkin (4 February, publicly reported 24 April). Officials ruled the April death of blogger Vegan Khristolyub Bozhiy a hanging; his relatives dispute suicide, and Meduza reports a case alleging negligence was opened over it but no other investigations were reported. Barents Observer reports relatives of Vladimir Osipov say denial of medical care contributed to his death.
Sources (2)
MeduzaAt least six political prisoners died in custody in first four months of 2026 per Memorial; a negligence case opened over Khristolyub's death.
thebarentsobserver.comKhristolyub's death ruled suicide, disputed by his father; Osipov's relatives claim denial of medical care.
Response
Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia
No response by publication
Contacted — no response by publication.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.