Russia jails student for 15 years on treason and terrorism charges over Telegram channel. He attempted suicide before his arrest, in pretrial detention, and during prison transfer.

A Russian military court has sentenced Rafael Mamedov, a 23-year-old student and creator of the Telegram channel “Svobodnaya Laplandiya” (“Free Lapland”), to 15 years in prison on charges of treason and participation in an organization Russian authorities have designated as terrorist. The Northern Fleet Military Court in Severomorsk handed down the sentence on June 1, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights monitor.

Under the ruling, Mamedov will serve the first three years in prison and the remainder of his sentence in a strict-regime penal colony.

Mamedov has been in custody since May 2025. Prosecutors brought charges based on his Telegram channel — where he posted memes, photographs, and historical and mythological facts about Lapland — as well as articles he wrote for the website of the “Coalition for Freedom from Imperial Tyrants,” in which he criticized Russian authorities and wrote about Russia’s dissolution. He did not plead guilty.

The case stems from a court ruling that declared the “Forum of Free States of Post-Russia” a terrorist organization. The channel “Svobodnaya Laplandiya” was designated as one of more than 170 branches of the organization, alongside such fictional entities as the “Belgorod People’s Republic” and “Kursk People’s Republic.”

Shortly before his arrest, Mamedov attempted suicide. Police detained him at a neuropsychiatric clinic in Murmansk, then formally arrested him. Mamedov made two more suicide attempts — one while in pretrial detention and another during a transfer between facilities.