September 17, 2024

A Record Not Worth Bragging About


A Record Not Worth Bragging About
Zhenya Berkovich, a theater director currently in prison declared an "extremist" by Rosfinmonitoring. The Russian Life files.

On September 13, Novaya Gazeta Evropa revealed that 2024 broke the record for most people added to Russia's register of terrorists and extremists. Among them were 93 minors, 20 of whom were under 16 years old.

In 2001, Rosfinmonitoring, a government entity created by President Vladimir Putin to monitor domestic and international financial transactions, established the "terrorists and extremists" list. Since the start of Russia's War on Ukraine, the FSB began classifying property damage as "terrorism." As shown in Novaya Gazeta Evropa's report, the number of underage persons declared "terrorists" skyrocketed after 2022. 

In February 2024, the youngest person ever declared a terrorist became Yegor Lauskis. The then 14-year-old from St. Petersburg was taken to prison in the summer of 2023 after allegedly setting a relay box on fire following "orders from the Ukrainians."

Lauskis did not hold the title of "youngest terrorist" for long. This summer, 14-year-olds Aimir Yukteshev from Khakassia and Gleb Synitsin from Ivanovo were also included in the registry. The alleged crimes of these teenagers are still unknown. The only information available is that Yukteshev liked songs from pro-Kremlin singers on VKontakte. 

Teenagers who oppose the Kremlin have also been arrested and investigated for "terrorism." Novaya Gazeta Evropa estimated that 78 adolescents have been detained due to their anti-war views.

Currently, there are 15,446 individuals and 611 organizations on Russia's terrorist list. In 2024, Rosfinmonitoring declared 2,097 persons to be "terrorists and extremists." On average, 284 names were added per month in 2024, almost twice the rate of 2023 and 2022. The "terrorists and extremists" include Yulia Navalnaya, actor Alexey Penin, TV presenter Tatyana Lazareva, director Zhenya Berkovich, dramaturg Svetlana Petrychuk, and the nonexistent "international public LGBT movement."

Over the last six years, over 3000 people hae been removed from the list. But it is no easy task. In order to no longer be considered a "terrorist," one's criminal cases must be dismissed and their sentences overturned. Even after being found dead in his cell in February, Alexey Navalny is still on Rosfinmonitoring's infamous roster.

 

You Might Also Like

Playwright and Director Sentenced
  • July 16, 2024

Playwright and Director Sentenced

The theater director and playwright have been in pre-trial detention for over a year on charges of "justifying terrorism." Now they've been sentenced.
Sudden Death
  • February 18, 2024

Sudden Death

Alexei Navalny’s death was entirely expected, and completely unacceptable.
A Very Famous Terrorist
  • December 25, 2023

A Very Famous Terrorist

Popular writer Boris Akunin has been added to the Kremlin's list of terrorists and extremists.
A QR Crackdown
  • December 14, 2023

A QR Crackdown

Moscow bans QR codes on billboards in response to the Russian political opposition.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955