At least 69 victims of political repression have died since the beginning of the war, according to the Memorial Memorial published a report titled "Not Waiting for Freedom" about deceased political prisoners and victims of political repression. According to it, 69 such people have died since 2022: 63 men and 6 women. 29 of them died from diseases and lack of medical treatment, and at least another 20 from beatings, torture or their consequences. The deadliest year was 2024 - then 26 people died, including Alexei Navalny, and in the current and still not completed year 2026 - 16. The report contains a list of names of all 69 dead: it includes Russians, Ukrainian citizens and prisoners of war. The youngest victims, Daniel Dakhov and Pavel Grimak from Melitopol, were 18 years old, the oldest, scientist Valery Mitko, was 81 years old. A memorial called 10 deaths confirmed or suspected suicides. "The specificity of suicide in places of deprivation of liberty is that due to the opacity of the prison environment, in almost all cases it is difficult to establish that the person died of his own free will," the report states. For example, the musician Anatoly Brezikov, who was convicted of publishing leaflets for the Ukrainian project "I want to live", shortly before his death told his lawyer that the FSB operatives threatened him after torture: "We will kill you and register it as suicide". Photo: SOTA.

At least 69 victims of political repression have died since the beginning of the war, according to the Memorial Memorial published a report titled "Not Waiting for Freedom" about deceased political prisoners and victims of political repression. According to it, 69 such people have died since 2022: 63 men and 6 women. 29 of them died from diseases and lack of medical treatment, and at least another 20 from beatings, torture or their consequences. The deadliest year was 2024 - then 26 people died, including Alexei Navalny, and in the current and still not completed year 2026 - 16. The report contains a list of names of all 69 dead: it includes Russians, Ukrainian citizens and prisoners of war. The youngest victims, Daniel Dakhov and Pavel Grimak from Melitopol, were 18 years old, the oldest, scientist Valery Mitko, was 81 years old. A memorial called 10 deaths confirmed or suspected suicides. "The specificity of suicide in places of deprivation of liberty is that due to the opacity of the prison environment, in almost all cases it is difficult to establish that the person died of his own free will," the report states. For example, the musician Anatoly Brezikov, who was convicted of publishing leaflets for the Ukrainian project "I want to live", shortly before his death told his lawyer that the FSB operatives threatened him after torture: "We will kill you and register it as suicide". Photo: SOTA.