“Glory to Ukraine! Death to Putin!”. Alexander Strukov, who was sentenced to eight years, cried out these slogans in court—and is now sentenced again for them

The prosecutor, Svetlana Tarasova, had requested an eight-year sentence, factoring in his unexpired term while acknowledging his poor health as a mitigating circumstance. In his closing arguments, the defence lawyer, Leonid Solovyov, argued that the phrase “death to Putin” was open to interpretation. “It could easily be an emotional way for a person to express their feelings,” he said, asking for his client to be acquitted or for the case to be returned to the prosecutor. 

“I do not consider myself an extremist, a terrorist, or guilty of anything,” Strukov said in his closing statement. “I am not at all ashamed of the anti-war and anti-state comments I wrote in the past. I am not ashamed of the political statement I made in court. I do not repent, I do not intend to change my views or reform, and I will not pay the fine if it is imposed.”

According to the indictment, on November 3, 2023, after the verdict in his first trial was delivered, Strukov said, “Death to Putin.” While reading the case materials in court, the prosecutor initially omitted the Putin’s surname before hesitating and clarifying: “Well, in the sense, [death] to the president.” 

Tarasova also recounted the minutes of the previous hearing. According to the official record, after the verdict was announced, Strukov demanded his Russian citizenship be revoked so he could obtain a Ukrainian passport. He also shouted “Glory to Ukraine!”, called military veterans “bad names” and wished them dead, insulted the judges who convicted him, and wished the Ukrainian military good luck.

On November 30, 2024, a state-appointed expert concluded that Strukov’s statements incited the murder of Putin. A new case was brought against the photographer on April 28, 2025. However, six months later, an investigator declined to initiate further charges of “inciting hatred or enmity” based on the same outburst. 

The secretary of one of the judges from the first trial testified as a witness. He recalled that Strukov first told the judges to “go to hell,” then shouted “Glory to Ukraine” and expressed a desire for Russian soldiers to die there. According to the secretary, it was only after the sentencing concluded that Strukov said “death to Putin.” They noted that the last phrase was uttered after the hearing was closed, which is why it was not included in the minutes.

“How did these phrases make you feel?” the prosecutor asked the secretary. 

“Nothing. We hear cases justifying terrorism every week; we’re used to it.” 

The FSB’s press service had been present in the courtroom during Strukov’s first sentencing. At the request of the defence, a segment of video footage was played in court showing a man asking a cameraman why he was filming. “I forbid you to publish this,” the man is heard saying.

According to Yuri Khomyakov, an FSB linguistic expert, Strukov was calling for an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin, “and, in that sense, for terrorist activity.” “The lexeme ‘death’ implies the end of an organism’s life,” said the linguist. His conclusions were supported by Marina Petrova, an expert from the Ministry of Justice: “The phrase ‘Death to Putin’ is a slogan-call described in many linguistic textbooks. Compare it to ‘Death to the fascist occupiers’ and ‘Death to the invaders’. It is clear what is being referred to.” However, the defence’s own expert, Elena Novozhilova, argued there was no explicit call to action in the words.

Strukov maintained that he was not ashamed of his words and did not regret his actions. “This is a political statement guaranteeing the end of the war, not implying any real action,” he read from a sheet of paper. He refused to admit guilt, reiterating that he did not view himself as an extremist or a terrorist.

Strukov, who previously collaborated with the late Alexei Navalny’s Moscow electoral headquarters, was initially arrested in January 2022. He was prosecuted over comments posted on the Telegram channel of the independent news outlet Znak.com, which suspended its operations in March 2022. The ruling that launched the case noted his comments included phrases such as “Glory to Ukraine!”, “Down with the Chekist regime...”, “Good morning everyone, down with Putin!”

In November 2023, the 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced him to eight years under statutes covering “public calls for terrorist activity on the internet,” “incitement of hatred or enmity,” and “offending religious feelings.” This sentence was later reduced on appeal to seven years and 10 months. 

During his time in pretrial detention, Strukov reported being placed in a cell with soldiers and mercenaries accused of violent crimes, including robbery, kidnapping, and extortion. While held at Moscow’s Detention Centre No 7, he claimed a former Wagner mercenary offered their cellmates a pack of cigarettes to beat him up, though no one accepted the offer.

The photographer has continued to face pressure since his transfer to Penal Colony No 4 (IK-4) in the Tver region. He has been placed in solitary confinement several times and, despite suffering from asthma and bronchitis, assigned to “dusty factory work”.

His case file includes a report from the IK-4 administration alleging that Strukov has violated the penal colony’s rules eight times. The administration claims he is not seeking rehabilitation and struggles to meet quotas at his prison job making souvenirs. Prison officials have officially registered him as an inmate “spreading extremism” who is prone to “terrorist crimes”.