‘Yes, I regret going’: Russian IT specialist returned to Russia to visit his ailing father and was charged with treason over €30 sent to his ex-girlfriend in Ukraine.

A court in Russia’s Komi Republic recently sentenced philosophy instructor Nikolai Zyuzev to seven years in a penal colony. He left Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began but returned to his home village in 2025. He was detained there and charged with treason. Zyuzev is far from the only Russian who has returned home and ended up behind bars. Memorial has counted at least 40 such cases since 2022. Meduza briefly recounts some of the most telling cases.