In Voronezh, three local activists — Alexander Zheltukhin, Fyodor Orlov, and Nadezhda Belova — reported brutal treatment by security forces during searches carried out on April 22. According to the human rights group OVD-Info, searches and interrogations took place at the homes of seven members of the civic community "Free People of Voronezh." One of them, Grigory Severin, was detained and charged with repeat “discrediting of the army.”
The victims claim they were beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and threatened. Belova and her family were stripped of all personal items — from phones and laptops to their passports. Zheltukhin ended up in the hospital with five broken ribs and spinal injuries after he tried to escape from the security officers and fell from an attic. They beat him, put a bag over his head, and denied him medical help.
Belova said security officers threatened to send her teenage son to war. They were beaten, electroshocked, and then evicted — the landlord of their rented apartment demanded they move out immediately.
Activist Fyodor Orlov shared photos of his injuries, including characteristic stun gun marks. He ironically described his experience: “I blindfolded myself, I fell into a bush myself, and I drew a penis on my own bald head.” This grim humor reflects a growing trend in Russia — victims of police abuse repeating the absurd “official” version that they harmed themselves to avoid greater consequences.
All the “Free People of Voronezh” did was maintain a Telegram channel critical of the authorities, write letters to political prisoners, and host public discussions. Their Telegram channel had only around 700 subscribers. Yet even this small-scale civil activity is now enough to trigger violent repression in today’s Russia.
Security forces interrogated Orlov and others at the notorious Center “E,” asking who was behind the Telegram channel and who donated money to support political prisoners. After the questioning, they took Orlov into the woods and released him. He walked home on foot.
All of them reported that the message from the authorities was clear: stop all civic activity — even running, even talking. The group had organized informal runs in the city, inspired by politician Yevgeny Roizman, simply to talk and feel human again. For that, they are now tortured.
Author’s Commentary:
This story isn’t just about raids. It’s a snapshot of a new phase of repression — where even symbolic acts of resistance, like jogging or chatting in a small Telegram channel, are punished with beatings and torture. What’s truly terrifying is how casually this violence is inflicted, as if the security forces feel fully protected and above the law.
And they are, in many cases. The phrase “he did it to himself” is already part of the dark folklore of contemporary Russia — used to mock the state's lies and the public’s forced silence.
The people in this story are still speaking — sometimes through pain, sometimes through irony. Their words deserve to be heard and remembered, because silence is exactly what the regime wants.
