Russian rights group documents at least 69 deaths among victims of political persecution since 2022
At least 69 people subjected to politically motivated persecution by Russian authorities have died in Russia since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a report published by Memorial’s Political Prisoner Support human rights project to mark the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression.
Illness and lack of medical care were the most common causes of death, accounting for 29 cases documented by the group. At least 20 people died from beatings, torture, or their aftereffects, and 10 died by suicide.
One person died as a result of a hunger strike, and another — Alexey Navalny — was deliberately killed in a penal colony. The causes of death of eight others remain unknown.
The group recorded the most deaths in 2024, when 26 people died. Another 13 died in 2025, and 16 died in the first 10 months of 2026, with October not yet over.
The average age of those who died was 51. The youngest on the list, Ukrainians Daniil Dakhov and Pavel Grimak, were both 18. The figures include people who died in pretrial detention centers and penal colonies, as well as during searches, under house arrest, and shortly after their release.
Memorial’s report recounts the stories of all 69 people who died. Meduza has reported in detail on some of them, including Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, pianist Pavel Kushnir, scientist Dmitry Kolker, Arctic researcher Valery Mitko, biker Kirill Buzmakov, and activist Anatoly Berezikov.
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