INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
At the age of 16, Yegor Balazeikin, a high-school student from St
following the invasion of Ukraine.The devices failed to ignite
No one was injured.But Balazeikin, who was initially charged with hooliganism, was eventually sentenced to six years in prison last year by
teenagers in Russia have been sentenced for their anti-war views.The Moscow Times has collected some of their stories.Yegor Balazeikin,
sentenced at 17Balazeikin became a staunch opponent of the war after his uncle, who had volunteered to fight with the Russian military
forces, died in Ukraine."I had to declare my position
pre-trial detention center to a correctional colony where teenagers serve their sentences until they turn 19.His family has voiced worries
that his health could deteriorate in prison, as a medical examination revealed that he has progressive liver fibrosis.In May, Russia added
Balazeikin to its list of terrorists and extremists, while the Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights organization Memorial designated Balazeikin
as a political prisoner.Arseniy Turbin, sentenced at 15Arseniy Turbin.Arseniy Turbin / VKArseniy Turbin was sentenced to five years at a
the Freedom of Russia Legion, a paramilitary unit of Russian nationals fighting on the side of Ukraine, which Moscow designated as a
terrorist organization.According to the independent Mediazona news website, Turbin, who was charged for planning to join the legion and
extremists.Memorial recognized Turbin as a political prisoner, making him the youngest person to have received the designation.Lyubov
Lizunova, sentenced at 16, and Alexander Snezhkov, sentenced at 19Lyubov Lizunova and Alexander Snezhkov.From personal archiveLyubov
Lizunova, a student from the Zabaikalsky region, was sentenced in April by a military court to 3.5 years in jail on charges of incitement to
terrorist activities and extremist activities.Lizunova and Alexander Snezhkov were detained and then arrested in the city of Chita for
anti-war protests and actions.Snezhkov was sentenced to six years in prison on the same charges.Both Lizunova and Snezhkov were added to the
placard with a poem of Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko to his monument in St
was fined 30,000 rubles ($341) for an anti-war post on social media and expelled from the university.She was also detained in 2022 for
Petersburg and the Russian-occupied twin city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.Valery Zaitsev, arrested at 14Valery Zaitsev.Valery Zaitsev /
on his page on the VKontakte social media platform.Maxim Lypkan, sent to compulsory treatment at 19Maxim Lypkan.SotaMoscow activist Maxim
Lypkan was ordered to undergo compulsory treatment by a Moscow court last month
In 2023 he was arrested on charges of spreading false information about the Russian army based on political hatred.The criminal case against
him was dismissed due to "insanity at the time of the crime."Lypkan was arrested in 2023 for his anti-war posts on Telegram social media,
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