Yekaterinburg Police Arrest Soviet Repression Researcher on ‘Terrorism’ Charges

May 7, 2026

Law enforcement authorities in the city of Yekaterinburg arrested a researcher of Soviet-era repression after he was accused of terrorist recruitment, local media reported Thursday.

Oleg Novoselov, 37, studies Stalin’s Great Terror of the 1930s in the Urals and had previously volunteered at the local chapter of the human rights group Memorial, which Russia’s Supreme Court last month declared “extremist.”

The press service of Yekaterinburg’s Verkh-Isetsky District Court told local media that Novoselov is accused of “inciting or recruiting to assist terrorist activity.” The charges carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

It was not immediately clear what specific activities prompted authorities to press charges against Novoselov or when he was arrested.

Novoselov’s name appeared on the state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “terrorists and extremists” on April 28, according to the civil rights group OVD-Info. 

His Telegram channel, where he publishes information on Stalin’s Terror from the Sverdlovsk region’s public archives, has not been updated since April 20.

Read more about: Yekaterinburg , Court cases , Terrorism

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