Evgenii Bestuzhev

Bestuzhev is a political scientist and publicist, and a member of the political council of the St Petersburg branch of the Solidarity movement. He previously coordinated the Democratic Russia movement and worked at the Higher School of Economics in St Petersburg.

He was detained on 9 November 2022, and the following day a court ordered him to be held in custody on charges of spreading knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces.

Bestuzhev suffers from several serious heart conditions and has experienced heart attacks during court hearings. He previously had a myocardial infarction in 2008 and underwent bypass surgery. He now requires another operation—something confirmed by a doctor at the pre-trial detention centre—as well as regular medication and ongoing medical supervision, none of which can be properly provided in detention. Within two months, his health had noticeably worsened: he repeatedly complained to his lawyer about chest and leg pain, and doctors at the detention centre diagnosed him with superficial vein thrombosis. In early June 2023, it was reported that he had been transferred to hospital for medical examination.

In July, his lawyer revealed that he was also facing administrative charges under Article 20.3.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences—calls for separatism—related to a speech he gave in October 2022.

On 5 November 2024, Bestuzhev was given a suspended sentence of five years and three months.

He left Russia in December 2024. On 20 May 2025, an appeal court overturned the suspended sentence, replacing it with a prison term and placing Bestuzhev on the wanted list.