Russia: Nikita Zhuravel Disappeared in Prison

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Russian authorities must urgently disclose the fate and whereabouts of Nikita Zhuravel, a 22-year-old sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment, whose family and lawyer have been unable to contact him since December 2025, Amnesty International said on March 26, 2026. His disappearance within the state penitentiary system — lasting months — amounts to enforced disappearance under international law.

Arbitrary Prosecution and Physical Assault

Zhuravel was detained on 20 May 2023 in Volgograd, a day after a video appeared online showing the burning of a Quran in front of a mosque. He reportedly stated he had acted on instructions from someone he believed to be a representative of Ukraine's security services, in exchange for approximately USD 130. Despite jurisdictional rules, he was transferred to the Chechen Republic, where he was beaten in detention by Adam Kadyrov, the then 15-year-old son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Footage of the assault was published online by Ramzan Kadyrov himself, who praised his son's actions.

In February 2024, a Chechen court convicted Zhuravel of "insulting the feelings of believers" and "hooliganism committed on the grounds of religious hatred" and sentenced him to 3.5 years. In November 2024, a Volgograd court extended his sentence to 14 years after convicting him of "high treason" for allegedly sharing video footage of military transport with Ukrainian security services. Amnesty International considers Zhuravel a prisoner of conscience. His family last heard from him on 24 December 2025, when he was in transit to a penal colony in Ulyanovsk. Since then, no contact has been possible.

Amnesty International's Demands

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, stated: "A person vanishing within the state penitentiary system for months amounts to enforced disappearance. Nikita Zhuravel already experienced petrifying levels of lawlessness at the hands of the authorities. Adding to this horror and injustice, his enforced disappearance means that his life and health may be at risk."

Amnesty International called on Russian authorities to immediately disclose Zhuravel's whereabouts, guarantee his access to his lawyer and family, and ensure his physical safety. The organisation also called for an independent investigation into the assault by Adam Kadyrov — widely reported but, according to Amnesty, manifestly ignored by federal investigators.

Source: Amnesty International — Russia: Authorities must immediately disclose Nikita Zhuravel's whereabouts (March 26, 2026)