‘It is likely that the real reason for Gaiduk’s prosecution is his Ukrainian origin. His German citizenship also makes him a valuable asset for the Russian authorities in potential prisoner-exchange negotiations.’ – Memorial
Nikolai Gaiduk, a German citizen from Hamburg born in the Ukrainian city of Konotop, has been remanded in custody on fabricated terrorism. charges related to terrorism. Memorial reports that on 15 November 2024, Gaiduk was detained while entering Kaliningrad region. He then confessed under torture to transporting and storing explosives and explosive devices, as well as to carrying out a terrorist attack, blowing up a gas pipeline in Kaliningrad in March 2024. The investigative authorities claimed that in December 2023 Gaiduk had smuggled explosives and components for an explosive device across the border and hidden them in a cache in Kaliningrad.
Memorial reports Gaiduk was charged with four offences: illegal transportation of explosives and explosive devices across the border (Art. 226.1, Parts 1.1 & 2, CC RF), illegal possession of explosives (Art. 222.1, Parts 1 & 3, CC RF), aiding and abetting the preparation of the illegal manufacture of explosive devices (Art. 30, Part 5, CC RF in conjunction with Art. 223.1, Part 2, CC RF), and committing a terrorist attack (Art. 205, Part2, CC RF). The prosecution claimed Gaiduk was part of a group acting in concert on instructions from a former fellow serviceman in the Ukrainian army.
Gaiduk later retracted all of his confessions. The only evidence against Gaiduk is a bottle allegedly containing explosive material allegedly found in his car. Gaiduk maintains the bottle was planted.
‘We believe that Nikolai Gaiduk’s guilt has not been proven and that the criminal case against him has been fabricated. FSB investigators repeatedly amended and rewrote interrogation records, adding details to Gaiduk’s statements that were intended to link him to previously committed acts and make the prosecution’s version of events appear more coherent. Gaiduk has already spent more than a year and a half in pre-trial detention, while the investigation period continues to be extended on the grounds of the case’s alleged “exceptional complexity”.’ It is likely that the real reason for Gaiduk’s prosecution is his Ukrainian origin. His German citizenship also makes him a valuable asset for the Russian authorities in potential prisoner-exchange negotiations.
– Memorial, 4 June 2026
Write to Denis Bushtet
The Russian penal system does not allow any messages to prisoners that are written in foreign languages, but Write to Russia is here to help you. To show your support for Nikolai Gaiduk please send your letter as an email to us at: le******************@********il.com. We’ll translate your letter into Russian and, depending on your request, either mail the translated letters on your behalf to Nikolai Gaiduk, or return the letters to you by email for posting in an envelope with addresses written in Russian. If we send the letter on your behalf, we ask that you compensate us for the cost of postage from the UK (currently £3.60 [$4.89; €4.17] for one letter). For suggestions on what to write to a political prisoner, click here. To learn more about our letter writing project, click here: Write to Russia.
You can write to Nikolai Gaiduk at the following address:
Russian Federation – 236022, Калининград, ул. Ушакова, д. 2-4, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Калининградской области, Гайдук Николай Викторович, 1967 г. р.
The persons unjustly imprisoned in Russia whose plight our project Write to Russia has highlighted to date can be found at this link:
Write to Russia – List of Prisoners
