Murmansk resident arrested on charges of involvement with the Freedom of Russia Legion

The Dzerzhinsky District Court in St Petersburg has remanded Maksim Panin in custody on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation. According to the court, Panin fought on behalf of the Freedom of Russia Legion from June 2023 until June 2026.

In a statement, the Joint Press Service of the Courts of St Petersburg said: "Panin publicly swore an oath to the terrorist organisation, carried out tasks assigned by its leadership, including taking part in combat operations aimed at committing terrorist acts on the territory of the Russian Federation." The statement also alleges that he received financial remuneration for his involvement with the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Panin was detained on 2 July. Investigators argued that he should remain in custody because he is registered in Murmansk Region and has no permanent place of residence in St Petersburg. They said he could therefore abscond from the preliminary investigation and the court by fleeing to another region of Russia or abroad.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dozens of people from across the country have faced criminal cases over alleged cooperation with the Freedom of Russia Legion. Several such cases have already been brought in 2026 alone.

In April 2026, Yekaterinburg lawyer Denis Tamantsev was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for cooperating with the Freedom of Russia Legion. In the same month, 60-year-old Galina Umyarova, a former employee of DOSAAF from the Moscow region, was placed in pre-trial detention on charges of assisting terrorist activity. Investigators alleged that she had sent 100 paid reactions (Telegram Stars) under one of the Legion's Telegram posts. In March, Polina Yevtushenko, a resident of Tolyatti, was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony on six charges, including high treason, following conversations with a provocateur that included discussions about the Freedom of Russia Legion. In February, 21-year-old Kaliningrad resident Sergei Igumnov was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for allegedly planning to join the Legion. In January, Aleksandr Chebotaryov, a gas service employee from Belgorod, received a 21-year prison sentence after being convicted of carrying out assignments for the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Also in March, Russia's Supreme Court upheld the conviction of 17-year-old Arseny Turbin, who had been found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation over his alleged cooperation with the Freedom of Russia Legion.