Human rights activists have recognized Kuban resident Lisovsky as a political prisoner.

The criminal case against Stanislav Lisovsky, a resident of the Krasnodar Territory convicted in Rostov-on-Don of treason, is politically motivated, and the history of his "carousel arrests" indicates the charges are fabricated, human rights activists believe.

Stanislav Lisovsky, from the village of Yuzhny in the Kuban region, worked in the paper and cardboard manufacturing industry before his arrest. On December 2, 2023, he was detained by security forces at a bus station in Krasnodar. Following this detention, he was given two consecutive administrative arrests before being placed in pretrial detention.

For almost a month, from December 2 to 27, 2023, he was in custody on administrative charges: first for refusing to present documents to a police officer, then for petty hooliganism. Following his second arrest, Lisovsky was detained again and then arrested on charges of treason and intent to join a terrorist organization.

According to the prosecution, Lisovsky planned to participate in military operations on the Ukrainian side, for which purpose he contacted a representative of the Freedom of Russia* Legion, a recognized terrorist organization in the Russian Federation, via Telegram. Investigators believe Lisovsky, following the interlocutor's instructions, purchased a bus ticket to Donetsk, planning to travel from there to the unit's location.

"The prosecution cited 'dissatisfaction with the Russian president's decision to conduct a special military operation' as the motive for his actions," the "Support for Political Prisoners" project noted in a November 20 publication. Memorial"***.

In May 2024, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Lisovsky to seven years in prison, with the first 2.5 years to be served in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony. Additionally, the court ordered him to be placed on restricted freedom for a year after his release. In addition to the purchased bus ticket and correspondence with an unknown person on Telegram, the court considered the testimony of Lisovsky's colleagues as evidence. According to them, Lisovsky "said that he would soon get a new job, notes the human rights project OVD-Info"***.

According to human rights activists, Stanislav Lisovsky should not be subject to criminal prosecution, even if the prosecution's allegations of his intentions are credible. Lisovsky's actions do not fall under the definition of treason recognized by international law, and the charge itself is illogical, the project points out. "If his actions are considered defection to the enemy, then the Freedom of Russia Legion* is recognized as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not a terrorist organization," the publication states.

Human rights activists also note that the practice of "carousel arrests" applied to Lisovsky is used by security forces to pressure suspects and fabricate criminal cases.

Stanislav Lisovsky is 54 years old and was born in Novosibirsk, according to his entry in the Rosfinmonitoring register of terrorists and extremists. According to a bot that tracks updates to this list, Lisovsky's information, marked as involvement in terrorism, was added before his sentencing, on February 29, 2024.

"Caucasian Knot" wrote that several residents of Kuban had been convicted in cases with a similar plot involving the intention to join the LSR*. For example, in early October, a military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Igor Yakovenko to five years in a maximum-security prison. Later in October, Marat Barashkin from Krasnodar received a seven-year sentence, and Alexei Orlov from Tuapse was sentenced to eight years.

* The "Freedom of Russia Legion" has been designated a terrorist organization and its activities are prohibited in Russia by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.

*** has been added to the register of foreign agents by the Russian Ministry of Justice.