Aleksandr Podrabinek

25 April – 5 May 2026

by Aleksandr Podrabinek

Source: Facebook

25 April 2026

‘On the new prosecution of political prisoner Ilya Florinsky‘ [Radio Svoboda, 25 April 2026]

‘From the verdict: “He began to espouse the radical ideas of the extra-parliamentary opposition, completely rejecting the legitimacy of the current government in the Russian Federation… A criminal intent arose, aimed at making public calls for terrorist activities using the Internet.“

‘Ilya Vladimirovich Florinsky was born on 7 December 1988. Until his arrest, he lived in Orel.

‘Convicted on 19 April 2023 by the 2nd Western District Military Court of Orel under Article 205.2, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (‘Public calls to carry out terrorist activities, public justification of terrorism or propaganda of terrorism using the internet’). Sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, the sentence began on 14 August 2023 and is to end on 8 August 2028.

‘But what does “the sentence ends” mean in the Russian prison system? It is merely a formality, written on a scrap of paper called a sentence. After two years in prison, Ilya Florinsky was again charged with a crime. This time under Article 321, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – “Disruption of the activities of institutions ensuring isolation from society.” The punishment for this offence is up to five years’ imprisonment. […]’

Read our translation of the complete text here

Source: Facebook

28 April 2026

The first thing that springs to mind following Ruslan Kutaev’s claim that Muslims are planning to seize power in Moscow, and him among them, is that he is a dubious character -who somehow or other found his way into the Platform of Democratic Forces at PACE— and is simply seeking public attention. He’s trying his best. And it’s the only way he knows. As the old woman Shapoklyak sang, ‘You can’t make a name for yourself with good deeds.’ Well, if not with good deeds, then with deeds like these.

But, having given it some thought, this is the conclusion I came to. Perhaps Kutaev isn’t a fool in search of fame at all. And the point isn’t even that he is deliberately discrediting the Russian Democratic Platform, and also, to some extent, the Parliamentary Assembly itself. After all, it was PACE itself that selected candidates exclusively with ‘high moral qualities’! After all, all this discrediting, whilst unpleasant, isn’t that painful.

The consequences could be quite different. I can just imagine how eyes of bored Chekists light up, who spend their time fabricating criminal cases over likes on someone’s post or a careless word. After all, Kutaev’s speech is a gift to them: ‘There are so many of us! We are ready, we are strong, we train in gyms, and we are waiting,’ “We will act at the hour of reckoning. And only we will decide who comes to power in Russia.”

What else is needed to launch yet another campaign of repression in Russia? Nothing! Ruslan Kutaev has done it all himself – publicly, loudly, unambiguously. Of course, this campaign won’t affect him. He will sit it out in exile, while the hammer of repression will come down on millions of people, people Kutaev boastfully enlisted into his imaginary army.

I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if references to Ruslan Kutaev’s alleged preparations for a coup d’état now start appearing in indictments and verdicts here in Russia. And it doesn’t matter that all this is an absurd fabrication, boastful nonsense and political fantasy. It will do for Chekists’ operational purposes. We’ve seen worse in our country. Let’s thank Ruslan Kutaev for his public denunciation. And it doesn’t matter that it is, in all likelihood, false. For the purposes of repression even this will do.

Source: Facebook

30 April 2026

It’s telling that, in connection with the Kutaev case, Russia’s liberal community on both sides of the border has expressed outrage. But in the West – mainly because of the homophobic and intolerant outbursts of the former Chechen deputy prime minister, and in Russia – more because of his political ambitions with a religious-nationalist undercurrent. So there you have it: everyone has their own priorities.

Source: Facebook

5 May 2026

When I first visited the West in the early 90s — I was in Switzerland — I was stunned by the variety of food for sale in the shops. After queuing all night for bread and being rationed to two kilos of meat a month, the Swiss abundance seemed like a fairy tale. Now, when I visit the West, I am struck by the ease of access to the internet. No VPNs, proxy servers or other workarounds. Access is simple, speed is excellent, and there are no blocks or restricted sites.

And yet there is a difference between that situation and the present one. Back then, a half-starved existence was the consequence of a failed political system, the inevitable outcome of building socialism. The senile old fools in the Kremlin of those years did not artificially create famine; they were simply incapable of solving the problem by abandoning communist ideology in favour of the public welfare. Now the problem is man-made. It has a very specific instigator – the Russian authorities – and a very specific executor – Roskomnadzor. Restrictions on the internet are not driven by military or political necessity. This is pure and simple sabotage. One day, the perpetrators will have to answer for this too.

Source: Facebook

Translated by Rights in Russia