Detention: On April 18, 2024, officers of the Federal Security Service of Russia detained Serhii Kryvoshein in occupied Kerch. During this period, other residents of the city were also detained and grouped into a single criminal case by Russian security forces.

Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, no sentence has been issued. Serhii Kryvoshein remains in custody at Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. The Russian Federation accuses him under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“treason”), Part 1 of Article 30, Part 2 of Article 205 (“preparation for a terrorist act”), Part 2 of Article 205.4 (“participation in a terrorist community”), and Part 4 of Article 222.1 (“illegal handling of explosives”). Human rights defenders consider the prosecution politically motivated.

Serhii Mykolaiovych Kryvoshein was born on January 26, 1988. He is a citizen of Ukraine and a resident of temporarily occupied Crimea. There is no confirmed information in open sources about his education, profession, or marital status. Human rights organizations have not published a detailed biography, focusing instead on documenting the criminal prosecution.

On April 18, 2024, officers of the Federal Security Service of Russia detained Serhii Kryvoshein in occupied Kerch. During this period, other residents of the city were also detained and grouped into a single criminal case by Russian security forces. After his detention, Serhii was placed in custody and later transferred to Rostov-on-Don, where the case is being heard by the Southern District Military Court.

On June 5, 2024, Serhii Kryvosheiev, a resident of Novovoronezh, was fined 30,000 rubles for an administrative charge of “discrediting” the army due to a repost on the social network VKontakte.

On December 19, 2024, Kryvosheiev was charged with the criminal offense of “discrediting” Russian military personnel (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The basis for the criminal charge was a repost of a video claiming that conscripts should not be used in combat against the armed forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region while contract soldiers were engaged in combat in Ukraine. The video states: “We cannot protect our territory, but we send professionals to capture another country's territory.” The video ends with a call for peaceful negotiations.

On May 6, 2025, Serhii Kryvosheiev was sentenced to 10 months of compulsory labor in a correctional center, with 15% of his earnings going to the state.

According to the Russian investigation, Serhii Kryvoshein allegedly was part of a “terrorist community,” prepared a terrorist act, illegally stored explosives, and collaborated with Ukrainian special services, which formed the basis for the charge of “treason.” These claims cannot be independently verified as the criminal case materials remain classified, and the hearings are held in closed sessions.

After the initial investigation phase, Serhii Kryvoshein was transferred to Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, where he remains in custody. Open sources do not provide confirmed information about his health, detention conditions, or the possibility of regular communication with his family. Due to the closed nature of the proceedings, human rights defenders have limited access to information about the trial's progress.

As of July 19, 2026, the trial in the first instance is ongoing. There is no information in open sources about a verdict being issued or the conclusion of the case.

Information sourced from: ZMINA, Ukrainska Pravda, Human Rights Project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial”.

Update date: 19.07.2026.