Kirill Buzmakov

A resident of Essentuki, Buzmakov took part in a private online chat of eight people dedicated to cars and motorbikes, where participants also discussed the war and criticised the Russian authorities. On 8 October 2022, his home was searched. He was later taken into custody as part of a case concerning the alleged preparation of a terrorist attack.

According to the wife of another defendant, Nikolai Murnev, Buzmakov was tortured and forced to testify against the other accused, and weapons were planted on him. In a message to another defendant, Vladimir Burmai, who had managed to leave Russia, Buzmakov wrote:

“First they threaten you with violence — in my case, they spread bags in the corner of the office, made me kneel, and started playing with the gun, pressing it to the back of my head. At the same time they said, ‘We don’t need you any more; everything has already been written down.’”

When he refused to confirm statements made in his name, he was beaten. Such interrogations reportedly lasted six to seven hours, and his “confessions” were recorded on video.

It later became known that his facial bone had been broken during his detention. For a year and a half, Buzmakov was denied medical care. To conceal the traces of torture, he was not taken to hospital and was promised treatment only if he gave the required testimony. He never received the promised medical help; the injury became infected, and he later suspected it had developed into a malignant tumour. In May 2024, Buzmakov was placed under house arrest, by which time he was already in a serious condition. On 28 May, he underwent surgery at a civilian hospital.

“They cut off the whole jaw. I breathe through a tracheostomy and eat through a feeding tube. I will probably live,” he wrote to Burmai.

On 20 July 2024, Buzmakov died.