Ivan Surov

A resident of the Tula region and a civil activist, Surov collaborated with the Golos Association. In April 2024, his premises were searched, and equipment and bank cards were seized. He was subsequently taken to the FSB for questioning. According to Surov, the investigation was prompted by two financial transfers he had made to the blogger Arkady Babchenko prior to 2022. Law enforcement officers reportedly told him they needed to ensure he was "no longer transferring money to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)."

Acquaintances linked the authorities' interest in Surov to the municipal elections of 2023. During those elections, Surov removed his ballot paper from the polling station and later filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, alleging electoral fraud, as the official protocol published on the GAS-Vybory website failed to record the incident.

On 23 October 2024, Surov’s home was searched again, after which he was detained and taken into custody. It was later revealed that he had been charged with high treason.

On 17 April 2025, Surov was sentenced to 12 and a half years in a strict regime colony.